Spanish rescue saves 245 migrants from three boats near Canary Islands

Spanish Maritime Rescue has aided 245 individuals found on three inflatable boats in waters near the Canary Island of Lanzarote. The provisional figures indicate that the rescues took place over recent hours, with the individuals arriving at the port of Arrecife.

Details regarding the gender, number of minors, or nationalities of those rescued have not yet been released. Earlier on Thursday, a Maritime Rescue vessel brought 111 occupants from one inflatable boat to Arrecife. This group was spotted approximately 62 nautical miles (about 114 kilometers) off the coast of Lanzarote. Prior to this, 45 people from another inflatable boat arrived at the same port in the early morning hours. Their boat was sighted 85 nautical miles (about 157 kilometers) north of Lanzarote by a merchant vessel.

According to the Canary Islands regional government's emergency services, the individuals rescued were generally in good health, requiring no hospital transfers. Another group of 89 people, rescued from a precarious vessel in waters near Lanzarote, also disembarked at the same dock. Three individuals from this last group were taken to a hospital for various health issues. Attention and care for these migrants are ongoing, and further health status updates are pending.

These three boats represent the first arrivals of irregular migrants to the Canary Islands since August 4th, when a makeshift boat, known locally as a 'cayuco,' carrying over 130 people, reached waters near the island of El Hierro. Data from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior shows a significant shift in migration trends for 2026. From January 1st to August 15th, 14,411 people arrived in Spain by sea, a 28.5% decrease compared to the same period in 2025. However, this decline is more pronounced in the Canary Islands, which received 4,808 people, a 59.5% reduction.