Europa Press Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Santa Cruz of Tenerife

Updated Sunday, February 4, 2024-21:54

Over the weekend,

Maritime Rescue intercepted a total of

18 irregular boats

carrying

1,154 migrants

heading to the

Canary Islands.

Only today, Sunday, 476 people who were aboard seven canoes have been rescued, one of which was adrift, while a seventh arrived on its own to

Fuerteventura

with 53 people. Likewise, this Saturday another ten barges with 625 people were registered, according to sources from the public organization, the

Red Cross

and the

Emergency and Security Coordinating Center (Cecoes) 112.

The first rescue operation began around 2:40 a.m., when the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Las Palmas received a notice from the

Civil Guard

reporting a canoe sailing 9 miles from

Arguineguín.

Around 3:30 a.m., the

Macondo

salvamar ship sighted the vessel and proceeded to escort it to port. There were 37 sub-Saharan men on board who were in good health, so no transfers were made to health centers.

At 5:40 a.m., Maritime Rescue received a warning from a sailboat after spotting a canoe adrift 74 miles south of El Hierro. The Rescue Center in Tenerife mobilized the sea guard

Talia,

who was more than 3 hours away from the given position, during which time the sailboat remained near the canoe that she had sighted. At around 9:40 a.m., the crew of the sea guard began the approach maneuver and rescued the 108 sub-Saharan people who were on board, all of them men. Once on land, two of them were transferred due to severe hypothermia to the

Hospital Nuestra Señora de los Reyes.

At 06:15 hours, the sea guard

Talia

informed the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in

Tenerife

of a suspicious echo 4 miles from

La Restinga,

so the

Adhara sea guard,

based in

El Hierro,

was mobilized, which around 07:00 hours He reported that he was next to a canoe and proceeded to escort it to port with 90 sub-Saharan people, including two children.

Shortly before 8:30 a.m., a notice was received from the Civil Guard reporting another cayuco 8 miles south of La Restinga. The Maritime Rescue Center mobilized the

Adhara sea rescuer,

who sighted him around 9:00 a.m. and proceeded to accompany him to port. Once on the ground, the 59 people on board were assisted by SUC,

Primary Care

personnel and Red Cross volunteers. All were in good condition.

Around 9:30 a.m., the Civil Guard also notified 112 and the Red Cross to provide humanitarian assistance to 63 migrants who were being taken to the Arguineguín dock. Once on the ground, at around 11:15 a.m., they were treated by health personnel from the SUC and Primary Care and volunteers from the Red Cross, and two men had to be transferred to a health center for minor pathologies.

On the other hand, around 2:15 p.m. the Civil Guard informed the Maritime Rescue Center in Tenerife of the presence of a new canoe sailing 11 miles south of El Hierro. Once the

Mizar rescue boat was mobilized,

it located it around 3:15 p.m. and proceeded to rescue the people on board, sub-Saharan men. With all the rescued people on board and towing the empty canoe, he took them to the port of La Restinga. Shortly after, another cayuco was intercepted and also taken to La Restinga. In total 119 people were rescued.

625 THIS SATURDAY

Yesterday, Saturday, at 9:00 p.m., the Civil Guard notified Maritime Rescue of the presence of a canoe 12 miles south of

Gran Canaria.

The Rescue Center in

Las Palmas

mobilized the

Macondo rescuer,

which at around 9:40 p.m. sighted the vessel and proceeded to escort it to Arguineguín. There were 60 people of sub-Saharan origin on board, all men, including 3 minors.

In the afternoon, around 6:40 p.m., a new alert from the Civil Guard reported a canoe sailing 14 miles south of Arguineguín. Once the

Macondo sea rescue was mobilized,

it located the canoe around 7:35 p.m. and escorted it to port with 91 sub-Saharan people on board. After being assisted by SUC health personnel, volunteers from the Red Cross and Primary Care, three transfers were made to health centers for different pathologies.

Adding these two together, ten irregular boats arrived in the Canary Islands yesterday Saturday with a total of 625 migrants. Specifically, they reached the islands of El Hierro,

La Gomera,

Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura, three of them by their own means.