Massive Migrant Vessel Reaches Gran Canaria

Details of the Rescue

A precarious vessel was rescued on Sunday approximately 429 kilometres south of Gran Canaria. Onboard were 251 occupants, including around a hundred possible minors. This has become the largest boat to reach the island’s shores to date.

The rescue operation took place in the early hours of Sunday. Of the 251 individuals on the boat, there were 227 men—of whom 100 appear to be minors—and 24 women, ten of whom are also believed to be minors, as detailed by a spokesperson for the Emergency and Security Coordination Centre (Cecoes) of the Canary Islands Government.

Comparison with Previous Migrant Arrivals

The number of potential minors from this vessel is three times greater than the number of young individuals who have applied for asylum and were transferred to the Peninsula since 11 August, which stands at 30.

Medical personnel were required to transport 17 of the occupants to hospitals on the island, due to various health issues.

According to sources from the Red Cross, this is the largest boat that has reached Gran Canaria thus far, even surpassing the previous crisis from 2006, where a boat with 231 occupants arrived in Arguineguín on 20 October 2024.

However, it still falls short of the record of 320 migrants who were on board the largest boat in the history of the Canary Islands, which arrived at the shores of El Hierro on 21 October 2023.

Second Rescue Operation

In addition to this vessel, Maritime Rescue also rescued another small boat on Sunday afternoon, carrying seven male passengers of Maghreb origin, all reported to be in good health.

This second boat was located at approximately 18:10 local time, about 24 nautical miles (approximately 44 kilometres) southeast of Gran Canaria, and was brought to the Arguineguín dock, where it arrived shortly after 20:00.