Christmas Day in the Canary Islands saw a continuation of the migrant crisis, with six small boats, known as cayucos, arriving on the islands. Maritime Rescue reported assisting 324 migrants over the course of the day, although challenging sea conditions prevented them from transferring passengers from one of the vessels.
The Guardamar Calíope located a stationary cayuco approximately 18 kilometres from the port of Arguineguín (Gran Canaria) at around 1:20pm. Due to rough seas, with waves reaching one and a half metres, a decision was made to tow the boat to shore rather than attempting a direct rescue.
One of the other five boats, carrying 60 men and four women, was escorted to Arguineguín after being spotted by the Adriatic vessel at around 9:25am. Salvamento Marítimo deployed the Salvamar rescue boat, which reached the cayuco an hour later.
Meanwhile, other migrant boats reached Tenerife and El Hierro. At the port of Los Cristianos in Tenerife, the Guardamar Polimnia rescued 40 people, including four women and three children, after the passengers called emergency services at 9:15am. Despite not knowing their exact location, the call was traced to an area near La Gomera.
El Hierro witnessed the arrival of three boats carrying a total of 220 migrants. These people were brought to the port of La Restinga by the Guardamar Adhara and Salvamar Acrux. Among them, one person required medical treatment at the Virgen de los Reyes Hospital.
The first group arrived at around 3:00am, with 80 men, including three children, all reportedly in good health. The second group, rescued 10 miles south of the island, consisted of 75 people, including 15 women and eight children, two of whom were infants. They reached the port at 1:40pm. The third cayuco arrived shortly after, at 2:00pm, carrying 65 people, among them 18 women and one child.
According to accounts from the migrants, the boats departed from Nouadhibou, Mauritania, enduring a four-day journey. The passengers primarily originated from Senegal, Mali, Gambia, and Guinea-Conakry.
The ongoing arrivals highlight the enduring challenges of migration to the Canary Islands, as people continue to risk their lives on perilous sea routes in search of safety and opportunity. Local authorities and emergency services remain stretched as they work to provide assistance to those arriving.
