131 migrants rescued from capsized boat near El Hierro, Canary Islands

Salvamento Marítimo responded to a capsized cayuco carrying 131 sub‑Saharan migrants that was detected by Guardia Civil radar about five nautical miles off El Hierro. The vessel Salvamar Navia escorted the boat to the port of La Restinga, where the migrants were disembarked and received medical attention; seven were transferred to the island hospital while the others were in good health. The rescued men, including 18 minors, reported a seven‑day journey from Brufut in Gambia and said they also came from Senegal, Mali, Guinea‑Conakry, Guinea‑Bissau and Burkina Faso and had spent the last two days without water or food. In a separate incident on the same day, a smaller irregular boat carrying eight migrants arrived at the coast of Teguise in Lanzarote. Local emergency services and the Red Cross provided assistance, and the migrants were reported to be in good condition. These arrivals highlight ongoing irregular migration flows to the Spanish Canary Islands.