Spain’s Maritime Rescue Service (Salvamento Marítimo) has assisted 854 migrants aboard seven small, open motorised fishing vessels in waters off the Canary Island of El Hierro since the early hours of Friday morning. The boats were escorted to the harbour of La Restinga, in the municipality of El Pinar, where those on board received medical attention.
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Of those brought ashore, 350 were transferred to Tenerife on the scheduled morning ferry service. The Spanish authorities are planning to relocate a further 350 migrants on Friday afternoon’s crossing to ease pressure on reception facilities on El Hierro.
Several of those rescued required hospital treatment. Nine people remain at Nuestra Señora de los Reyes Hospital after arriving on El Hierro aboard different vessels in recent days, suffering from various health problems.
Friday’s rescue operation involved three Salvamento Marítimo vessels: Salvamar Navia, Diphda and Mizar. The first intervention took place four miles from the port of La Restinga, where the first boat was located. Salvamar Navia escorted it to the quay, which it reached at around 1:00 am with 134 people on board.
The remaining boats arrived at staggered intervals throughout the morning. The second cayuco docked at 4:45 am, carrying 174 people, followed by a third vessel just 15 minutes later with 166 migrants on board.
The largest boat of the day arrived at 8:30 am, carrying 235 people. A fifth boat brought a further 54 migrants ashore at around 9 am, while another 39 disembarked from the sixth vessel, which reached the harbour at approximately 10:15 am. The final boat arrived at La Restinga at 12:30 pm with 52 people on board.
According to information provided by health and emergency services, those aboard the seven vessels were of sub-Saharan African origin. Most were men, although women and minors were also among the passengers. Their points of departure and the specific countries of origin of those on board have not yet been established.
The operation at La Restinga harbour involved members of the Red Cross Immediate Emergency Response Team (ERIE), the Canary Islands Emergency Service (SUC), port security personnel, the Civil Guard and the National Police.
Following initial medical and humanitarian assistance, the migrants were transferred to the Temporary Foreign Nationals Reception Centre (CATE) in San Andrés, in the municipality of Valverde. There, they will receive support from the NGO Corazón Naranja-Ebrima Sonko and remain in police custody pending their transfer to other reception facilities outside El Hierro.
More arrivals in Gran Canaria and Lanzarote
Migrant arrivals along the Canary Islands route have also been reported on other islands in the archipelago. At around 10 pm on Thursday, Spain’s Maritime Rescue Service brought ashore an as-yet unconfirmed number of people rescued at sea in Arguineguín, on the southern coast of Gran Canaria.
On Lanzarote, two further groups of migrants arrived between 9 pm on Thursday and 8:30 am on Friday. The first group comprised 27 men of North African origin travelling in a small boat, while the second consisted of a further 61 people.
