More than 1,500 migrants reach Canary Islands in single day
15.11.2026,
More than 1,500 migrants arrived in the Canary Islands in a single day, the highest daily figure since records began, Spanish state broadcaster RTVE reported on Sunday, citing rescue services.
The vast majority arrived on the small island of El Hierro, where 13 boats carrying migrants reached the island on Saturday alone, it reported. One additional boat each arrived on Gran Canaria and Tenerife, the report said.
On Sunday, at least four more boats reached El Hierro, with the number of people on board initially unclear.
At least 120 of the roughly 1,500 newcomers on Saturday were minors, RTVE reported, citing the authorities. They are mainly from Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania and Guinea. The Atlantic crossing can take up to a week - if all goes well.
A sad record
The RTVE report spoke of a "sad record." The previous daily high for the Canaries was 1,461 rescued people, recorded on November 7, 2020. At the time, arrivals were concentrated on Gran Canaria.
The situation is currently particularly tense on El Hierro, an island with just over 12,000 residents.
Since the start of the month, El Hierro has received more than 9,000 migrants on 91 boats. The Spanish government has therefore declared a migration emergency for the island.
Canary Islands President Fernando Clavijo on Sunday demanded the immediate implementation of aid pledges agreed with Madrid. These include additional accommodation, better medical care and faster transfers of migrants to other islands and the Spanish mainland.
Migration route to the Canaries - one of the most dangerous
The Canary route is one of the most dangerous migration routes to Europe.
According to the Spanish aid organization Caminando Fronteras, which has strong networks in Africa, at least 635 people died in the first five months of this year while trying to reach the group of islands, located about 100 kilometres off the north-western coast of the African continent.
The Canary Islands record the most migrant arrivals of any other Spanish region. However, arrivals had fallen by just over 5% compared with the same period last year, to 13,327 between January and the end of October, figures from the Interior Ministry show.
Spanish media attribute the sharp increase in arrivals in recent weeks to a worsening social and economic crisis in Senegal.
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