Record Number of Migrants Rescued Near Gran Canaria
The precarious vessel was rescued this Sunday, about 429 kilometres south of the island.
The Government of the Canary Islands confirmed on Monday that, at present, 19 unaccompanied minors were among the 251 occupants of the cayuco that arrived in Gran Canaria on Sunday. This has now become the largest boat to date that has reached the shores of the island.
In the initial report, the Emergency and Security Coordination Centre (Cecoes) of the regional government indicated that there were potentially 110 minors on board the vessel, comprising 100 men and 10 women. However, following a press briefing by the Council of Government, the confirmed figure for unaccompanied young migrants stands at 19.
Regional government sources have suggested that it is typical for around 10-15% of passengers on such boats to be minors, although no specific figures were provided beyond those pertaining to individuals travelling alone without family members.
The precarious vessel, rescued 429 kilometres (approximately 232 nautical miles) south of Gran Canaria early on Sunday, contained 227 men and 24 women, as detailed by a Cecoes spokesperson to EFE.
Medical personnel had to transfer 17 of the occupants of this cayuco to hospital facilities on the island due to various medical conditions.
According to sources from the Red Cross confirmed to EFE, this is the largest cayuco to arrive in Gran Canaria to date, surpassing the previous crisis involving cayucos in 2006, which recorded a maximum of 231 occupants on a single vessel that arrived in Arguineguín on October 20, 2024.
However, it is still far from the record of 320 migrants onboard the largest cayuco in the history of the Canary Islands, which reached the shores of El Hierro on October 21, 2023.
In addition to this vessel, Salvamento Marítimo also rescued another boat in the afternoon on Sunday, carrying seven individuals, all male and of Maghreb origin, who were in generally good health.
This second vessel was located by the Salvamar Macondo around 18:10 local time, approximately 24 nautical miles (about 44 kilometres) south-southeast of Gran Canaria, and was brought to the Arguineguín dock, where it arrived shortly after 20:00.
