MADRID — Nearly 2,200 migrants have arrived by boat in Spain’s Canary Islands over the past two days, Spain’s maritime rescue service said Sunday.
The Spanish archipelago off northwest Africa is one of the main entry points for migrants into the country, as people mainly from West Africa attempt the dangerous Atlantic crossing in ramshackle boats. Of the just over 28,000 people who arrived in Spain by sea between January and the end of October, more than 13,000 arrived in the Canary Islands, according to the Interior Ministry.
The Maritime Rescue Service said it had assisted 1,324 migrants aboard 14 dinghies, most of whom arrived on the island of El Hierro. The figure was close to the daily record for this route — 1,461 people rescued on Nov. 7, 2020.
The strip of the Atlantic Ocean between West Africa and the Canary Islands is one of the world’s deadliest migration routes. The islands are roughly 65 miles (105 kilometers) from the closest point in Africa, but to avoid security forces, many migrants attempt longer journeys that can take days or weeks. The majority depart from Mauritania.
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