More than 4,000 migrants have arrived in the Canary Islands in barely a fortnight, marking a significant spike in numbers arriving from West Africa in tiny boats, newly published figures have indicated.
The data was issued by Spain’s Ministry of the Interior just days after nine people died, with another 54 reported missing, after a boat capsized during a rescue operation close to the archipelago.
In total, 4,050 people have reached the islands over the past 15 days. The surge follows a lull in early September, when 1,234 migrants arrived after a record-breaking summer which saw 6,267 arrivals in July and August.
A total of 5,284 migrants reached the islands in September alone.
Since the start of 2024, 30,808 migrants have arrived in the Canaries, nearly twice the 14,976 who arrived during the same period last year.
The Canary Islands remain one of the world’s most perilous migration routes. While there is no accurate death toll because of the lack of information on departures from West Africa, Spanish migrant rights group Walking Borders estimates the victims are in the thousands.
Spain’s maritime rescue service said that the weekend’s tragedy occurred after it was alerted to the presence of a small boat loaded with people four miles from the island of El Hierro.
The boat turned over when too many people moved to one side during the rescue attempt, according to a statement by the rescue service.
Rescuers have saved 27 people and confirmed nine dead.
The service said that the rescue operation was made more difficult because it was carried out during the night and under gusts of winds that reached 20 knots. Rescue craft and helicopters of the maritime rescue service, the Civil Guard, the Red Cross and the local government all participated in the operation.
Speaking after the tragedy, Manuel Dominguez Gonzalez, leader of the People’s Party of the Canary Islands, said: “I hope that what happened today on the high seas will shake the conscience of many people because our land can no longer bear the weight of deaths and missing persons.”
The recent increase brings the total for 2024 close to the record set in 2023 when 39,910 migrants arrived.
President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, has warned that if this trend continues, the number of arrivals could surpass 50,000 by the end of the year, breaking all previous records.
Nationally, 42,231 migrants have entered Spain irregularly so far in 2024, marking a 60 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023. The vast majority (40,076) arrived by sea, often in precarious boats.
However, arrivals to mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands have seen a slight decline, with 9,224 arriving by sea this year compared to 10,487 last year.
The growing pressure on the Canary Islands has prompted regional authorities to call for international assistance from organisations such as the UNHCR and UNICEF to help manage the increasing number of arrivals.
Located closer to Africa than mainland Spain, the Canaries are seen by many as a step toward continental Europe.
Most come from Mali as well as Senegal, Mauritania and other West African countries seeking better job opportunities abroad or fleeing violence and political instability.