MADRID: A total of 30,705 undocumented migrants have reached the Canary Islands in the Atlantic in the first 10 months of this year, nearing a full-year record of 2006, data from Spain’s Interior Ministry showed on Thursday.
The number of people risking the perilous crossing from Africa represented an 111 percent increase from the same period of last year and accounted for the bulk of the total of 43,290 arrivals to Spain by sea, which was about 66 percent higher, the data showed.
The archipelago, which lies around 100 km (60 miles) off Africa’s west coast, had its previous peak in 2006, when 31,678 migrants arrived as other routes to Europe were blocked off.
Arrivals have spiked as milder weather and calmer seas since September usually make attempts of crossing more feasible. A third of all arrivals in the Canaries came to El Hierro, the westernmost and tiniest island.
The archipelago’s seven islands have become the main destination for migrants from Senegal and other African countries trying to reach Spain, fleeing conflict or in search of better economic conditions.
More than half of migrants who have reach the archipelago came from Senegal, official data showed.
The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) counted 313 people who died or went missing so far in 2023 trying to reach the Canary Islands.
Last week, the Spanish government said it would create additional emergency accommodation for some 3,000 migrants in military barracks, hotels and hostels to ease the pressure on the archipelago after local authorities said they felt abandoned by the central government.
Spain’s Canary Islands on course for record migrant arrivals
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Spain’s Canary Islands on course for record migrant arrivals
- The number of people risking the perilous crossing from Africa represented an 111 percent increase from the same period of last year
- Arrivals have spiked as milder weather and calmer seas since September usually make attempts of crossing more feasible
Dozens missing after boat carrying more than 200 migrants capsized off the coast of Gambia
- At least 102 survivors have been rescued and seven bodies recovered from the boat that capsized on New Year’s Eve in northwest Gambia’s North Bank region
BANJUL: Dozens are missing after a boat carrying more than 200 migrants on their way to Europe capsized off the coast of Gambia, the West African nation’s leader said late Friday, setting off a frantic search and rescue operation.
At least 102 survivors have been rescued and seven bodies recovered from the boat that capsized on New Year’s Eve in northwest Gambia’s North Bank region, Gambian President Adama Barrow said in a state broadcast.
The emergency services were joined by local fishermen and other volunteers in searching for the victims, days after Wednesday’s incident near the village of Jinack, he said.
Thousands of Africans desperate for better opportunities in Europe risk their lives traveling on boats along the Atlantic coast, one of the world’s deadliest migrant routes that connects the West African coast across Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania.
Many migrants seeking to reach Spain via the Canary Islands never make it due to high risks of boats capsizing. In August 2025, around 150 people were either dead or missing after their boat that came from Gambia capsized off the coast of Mauritania. A similar incident in July 2024 killed more than a dozen migrants with 150 others declared missing.
It was not clear what led to the latest tragedy. Gambia’s Ministry of Defense said the boat was found “grounded on a sandbank.”
“The national emergency response plan has been activated and the government has deployed adequate resources to intensify efforts and provide assistance to the survivors,” Barrow said.
Some of the 102 survivors were undergoing urgent medical care, the Gambian leader said.
As he condoled with families, Barrow vowed a full investigation and called the accident a “painful reminder of the dangerous and life-threatening nature of irregular migration.”
“The government will strengthen efforts to prevent irregular migration and remains determined to create safer and more dignified opportunities for young people to fulfil their dreams,” he added.
