Spain: Island migrant facilities overwhelmed after 1,600 arrivals in one weekend

Over 1,600 African migrants arrived in Spain’s Canary Islands over the weekend, according to the Spanish emergency services. Nearly 1,000 of the migrants arrived on Saturday in about 20 makeshift boats while others arrived on Sunday.

Earlier this year, the Spanish migration ministry opened a management centre in the island of Tenerife with capacity for 300-400 people. But the secretary of state for migration, Hana Jalloul, said the islands’ reception resources were being overwhelmed by the high numbers of new arrivals.

At least 414 deaths have been recorded on this route so far this year, according to the IOM. This number is almost double the number recorded in 2019.

TMP_ 10/11/2020

Image Credit: Shutterstock/ elRoce

Image Caption: Satellite view of the Canary Islands. Elements of this image furnished by NASA.