Boat carrying 85 migrants reaches Canary Islands as arrival figures soar

A boat from Senegal with 85 people on board arrived in La Restinga port on the Canary island of El Hierro, Spain. The number of migrants reaching the Canary Islands has more than doubled in 2024, with interior ministry figures showing that 22,304 migrants reached the Atlantic archipelago in the period to August 15, up from 9,864 in the same period a year earlier. 

The figure represents a 126-percent increase year on year. Spain is one of the main gateways for migrants seeking a better life in Europe, with the vast majority making the perilous journey to the Canary Islands which lie off Africa's northwestern coast.