Dangers of the Atlantic Route to the Canary Islands

 Spain's Salvamento Maritimo coastguard service said it had rescued a total of 5,897 people in the Canary Islands this year, but warned of "the risks associated with this illegal activity". The coastguard said it had increased its presence in the area, particularly in the early morning, to reduce the number of such crossings. On Monday, the 86 migrants rescued near the Canary Islands were taken to Arguineguin, where they were greeted by Red Cross workers who provided them with medical care.

The situation is still unclear, however, and the Spanish coastguard has yet to confirm the presence of another boat in the same area carrying around 200 people. The Atlantic route to the Canaries is highly dangerous due to the strong currents and migrants often travel in overloaded boats without enough drinking water.

David Diatta, the mayor of Kafountine, said he'd not heard any news of the migrants who left from there. He explained that people chose to leave from Kafountine because it is surrounded by islands and inlets that provide hiding places for people smugglers and migrants. Helena Maleno, head of Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras, said a vessel had left the southern Senegalese town of "Kafountine on June 27 with approximately 200 people on board".

She added that there are many minors on board and that her NGO knew of two other boats with around 120 people on board that were also missing after leaving Senegal on June 23. According to figures released by Caminando, 778 people died while trying to reach the Canary Islands by boat in the first half of 2023. Figures from the International Organization for Migration point to 126 dead or missing over the same period. Spain has long been a key entry point for migrants seeking a better life in Europe, but the number of Atlantic crossings began surging in late 2019 after increased patrols along Europe's southern coast drastically reduced Mediterranean crossings.

In the first six months of this year, a total of 7,213 migrants reached the Canary Islands by boat. That figure is nearly 20 percent lower than the 8,853 that arrived in the same period a year earlier, according to interior ministry figures. Spain's Salvamento Maritimo coastguard service warned of the risks associated with illegal migration and said it had increased its presence in the area to reduce the number of such crossings.

On Monday, the 86 migrants rescued near the Canary Islands were brought to the port of Arguineguin on Gran Canaria, where they were greeted by Red Cross workers who provided them with medical care. The situation remains unclear, however, and the spokeswoman told AFP she was not able to say whether there was another boat adrift in the same area with 200 people on board.