The emergency teams have helped 319 immigrants in the waters of Lanzarote and Gran Canaria, who were traveling in seven boats, during the night of Tuesday. Among these migrants were 59 women and 24 children who were sailing in waters near the islands, as reported by 112 and Maritime Rescue.
Among the alert calls, Salvamento Marítimo received one with the position of a boat in distress that was between 30 and 40 nautical miles (between 54 and 72 kilometers) from the coast of Lanzarote. When the Seakeeper Calliope arrived at the indicated coordinates found nine people, a much lower number than usually travel in these boats, in the water and clinging to the remains of the semi-sunken boat, detailed sources of Maritime Rescue. The testimonies of the survivors, according to various sources, including the NGO Walking Borders, indicate that there are another 18 missing persons.
Helena Maleno, the head of the NGO Walking Borders, has reported this incident on her Twitter account. “If they don’t come, we’re dead, we won’t be able to last another half hour,” was the cry for help to the NGO from the boat. The activist denounces that the rescue means were activated too late despite knowing the geographical position, something that sources from Salvamento Marítimo deny.
58 of the occupants of one of the rescued boats have been transferred to the port of Lanzarote at two in the afternoon (Canarian time). Also this Wednesday, the arrival of another boat, with an undetermined number of immigrants, to Fuerteventura was scheduled.
The resources for the first reception and identification of immigrants in Lanzarote, in the hands of the National Police, are at their maximum capacity. A ship without sanitation, ventilation, or showers and with just five chemical toilets housed some 400 people on Monday. During the afternoon of Tuesday, according to police sources and the Government of the Canary Islands, some 150 people were removed from there, several dozen minors among them. A camp of two million euros, financed with European money, has been set up for three months in the rear of the Arrecife police station, but it remains closed. The City Council has blocked its opening alleging that it is not a suitable place and that Interior has not scrupulously complied with the procedures to open it.
➡️#LANZAROTE: Five boats with 199 migrants (154 men, 28 women and 17 minors)
➡️#GRANCANARIA: A boat with 120 migrants (82 men, 31 women and 7 minors).
– 1-1-2 Canary Islands (@112canary) January 26, 2022
What affects the most is what happens closest. To not miss anything, subscribe.
subscribe
Of all the people rescued, 199 have arrived at the port of Arrecife, from five rescues carried out by the calliope and the Salvamar Al Nair. In the first case, the first ship came to the aid of a pneumatic boat and ended up locating two more, with a total of 127 sub-Saharan immigrants on board: 96 men, 25 women and six children. Of all of them, a woman, a man and a baby were referred to the José Molina Orosa Hospital to receive medical assistance. For its part, the Al-Nair provided assistance, also in Lanzarote, to two boats with North African occupants, one with 35 people (33 men and two women) and another with 37 (25 men, one woman and eleven children).
From Gran Canaria, the Guardamar Concepcion Arenal went to help a pneumatic that was about 150 kilometers away, in a position south of Fuerteventura, and located two. In total, that Salvage boat returned to the port of Arguineguín with 120 immigrants (82 men, 31 women and seven minors). In this case, eight people required a transfer to hospital after reaching land.
The activity has not stopped when the day has come. Maritime Rescue sources have warned that several search alerts are currently open on the high seas.
The Canarian route is the deadliest of all those used to reach Spain. The number of dead and missing on the migratory routes that lead to Spain by boat has doubled during 2021 to at least 4,404 migrants, according to the NGO Walking Borders. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), whose statistics are always more conservative, reduces the victims by half, but warns that there are many ghost shipwrecks.
In the last two weeks this journey has been very active, boats coming from relatively unknown points such as Casablanca (Morocco). Since last January 17, at least 1,825 people have been rescued trying to reach the coast of the islands aboard 41 boats, according to the calculations of this newspaper.
The Government delegate in the Canary Islands, Anselmo Pestana, explained this Tuesday that a change in the profile of arrivals is being perceived, since in 2021 there was a “notable increase” in women, from 1,100 to 3,000, according to Pestana. Changes have also been seen in the type of boats, which “are increasingly fragile” because “many are pneumatic” and come “very overloaded,” said the government delegate on the islands. This fragility and overcrowding make navigation “extremely dangerous” when sea conditions worsen. For this reason, Pestana believes that deaths at sea may have increased in recent times.
#Maritime #Rescue #rescues #migrants #Tuesday #night #Canary #waters