During the rescue operation, 87 African migrants were rescued, including a child born directly on the boat.
Spokeswoman for the Spanish Maritime Rescue Organization, Salvamento Marítimo, said Friday night that her mother and baby are fine. The migrants were in three boats and were picked up south of the island of Gran Canaria (Spain).
According to information, among the rescued were 30 women, six infants and four older children. They were brought to the city of Arginegin in the south of Gran Canaria.
Currently, the number of migrants is growing rapidly not only on the southern coast of Spain, in Italy or Greece, but also on the coasts of the Canary Islands. Last year, the archipelago experienced a new influx of migrants. 2,998 illegal immigrants arrived on the islands in 133 boats. And this flow is also increasing this year.
Already in the first month and a half of 2020, 995 migrants reached the local coast in a total of 30 boats. The last three boats, carrying a total of 86 people from sub-Saharan Africa, were intercepted only last night south of Gran Canaria. As Morocco is strictly struggling with illegal immigration, more and more people are trying to get to the Canary Islands from Mauritania by boat.