More than 160 migrants have reached the Canary Islands in just one day.
Increasing numbers of people are making the perilous trip from the coast of northwest Africa to the Canary Islands, seen as a gateway to Europe.
It is more than 180 miles as the crow flies from the African coast to southern Tenerife, making it like crossing the Channel from France to the English south coast seven times.
Some boats are reportedly setting off from as far away as Senegal, about 900 miles from the island. It is seen as one of the most perilous migrant routes in the world and has led to hundreds of deaths.
Two Maritime Rescue vessels and a Civil Guard patrol boat assisted and accompanied two migrant boats to the port of La Restinga, in the south of El Hierro, overnight between October 14 and 15.
These boats carried 164 people, including 65 Pakistanis and 99 sub-Saharan Africans. The first was detected late on Monday when it was sailing 18.5 kilometres (11.5 miles) south of El Hierro.
A Civil Guard patrol boat and the Salvamar Adhara met it, accompanying its 76 occupants (68 men, five women and three children) to port, where they disembarked at 11.05pm in good health.
The second boat was located early in the morning in the same position as the previous one.
The Guardamar Talía accompanied it to port, disembarking its 88 occupants at La Restinga at 6.50am: 85 men and three women. None required evacuation to a health centre on the island.
The arrival of these migrants highlights a change in the Canary Route, as Pakistani migrants usually opt for the Mediterranean Route to leave their countries.
Juan Carlos Lorenzo, the coordinator in the Canary Islands for the Refugee Aid Commission, emphasised that “most people arriving in the Canary Islands are of Moroccan, Malian, Gambian, Senegalese or Mauritanian origin.
“We are seeing this presence of people coming from Asian countries and understand it as a direct consequence of border countries’ policies.”
On August 15, a large cayuco (wooden boat) carrying 180 people, including 29 children, was intercepted by a lifeboat off the coast of south Tenerife.
It had crossed from West Africa and was brought to the port of Los Cristianos passing a packed beach of holidaymakers, according to the Canarian Weekly.
