Sixty-one migrants were rescued by the Spanish coast guard on Monday in the Atlantic ocean off the coast of Spain’s Canary Islands.
The migrants – 31 woman, 21 men and nine minors – were transferred to the port of Arguineguin in Gran Canaria where they were helped by emergency services.
The latest official figures published show 6359 migrants have arrived in the Canary Islands up to April 15 compared to 3980 at same time last year.
The Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa have become the main destination in Spain for migrants trying to reach Europe.
Last year was one of the busiest for such crossings in the past decade, according to interior ministry data.
A total of 22 316 migrants arrived in the Canaries irregularly in 2021, in addition to 23 271 arrived the previous year.
Walking Borders rights group said more than 4 400 migrants, including at least 205 children, were lost at sea trying to reach Spain in 2021, more than double the figure from 2020 and the most since the group began counting in 2018.
