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The Canary Islands emergency service said 262 migrants traveling on three boats off the coast of Spain’s Atlantic archipelago were rescued on Friday evening alone. Operations were underway on Friday afternoon to rescue another 200 migrants, state TV channel RTVE reported, citing authorities.
Of the 262 migrants from the night, 103 were reportedly taken to safety by the Spanish Maritime Rescue Service near El Hierro and then to the island. This means that the number of people who have arrived irregularly on El Hierro since Tuesday has increased to more than 1,300. The island has more than 11,000 inhabitants and says it cannot handle such an influx of migrants. Some media are already talking about the “Spanish Lampedusa”.
The situation is “untenable”, Prime Minister Fernando Clavijo of the Canary Islands told the TV channel Antena 3 on Friday. The conservative politician accused the left-wing central government of inaction. “We are stunned and dismayed by the silence of a Spanish government that seems completely indifferent to the events surrounding migration and the pressures facing all the Canary Islands,” he said.
It is not known why most migrant boats on the so-called Canary Route recently left for El Hierro. According to authorities, hundreds of migrants have now been transferred to other, much larger Canary Islands, such as Tenerife. The island government nevertheless demanded “extraordinary and urgent” measures from Madrid and the EU. «The Herreños are helpful and sensitive people who know firsthand what emigration means. “But they are not prepared in terms of area, population and resources to accommodate such a large number of migrants,” it said in a statement.
At least 951 migrants died trying to reach Spain by sea in the first six months of the year, according to Spanish aid agency Caminando Fronteras. The majority of deaths (778) were not recorded in the Mediterranean Sea, but on the route from West Africa to the Canary Islands. (SDA)
Source:Blick
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