Canary Islands' El Hierro declares emergency as more than 3,300 migrants arrive in first week of November

Authorities on El Hierro in Spain's Canary Islands have declared an emergency to cope with a surge of migrants and refugees arriving by boat. More than 3,300 people have reached the island since the start of November, and the island authorities have asked the central government in Madrid for help.

Alpidio Armas, head of the governing council for El Hierro, told Spanish television on Saturday that officials were very concerned by the sharp increase in arrivals. He said the emergency was declared to ensure a framework of cooperation with higher-level institutions.

According to local authorities, more than 3,300 people have arrived on the island in about 30 boats since the start of November. The sudden arrival of so many people has put enormous pressure on the small island, which has only about 11,400 residents.

Officials are seeking temporary accommodation for the new arrivals, while conditions at the island's hospital have become undesirable, Armas said. Medical staff have been brought in from other islands to provide care.

Fernando Clavijo, the regional leader of the Canary Islands, told the Reuters news agency on Friday that the situation was absolutely unsustainable. He said the numbers were approaching the record levels seen in 2024, and on some days the current pace was even higher.

Maritime rescue services rescued 3,261 migrants and refugees off the coast of the Canary Islands in the first six days of November, according to official figures. Buses have been diverted to migration operations, Clavijo said.

The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands is one of the world's deadliest migration crossings. Two people were found dead on a boat heading for the Canaries this week, and five others are believed to have died during the voyage, the AFP news agency reported, citing survivor accounts.

At least nine migrants or refugees have died off the islands in recent weeks. The deaths have once again highlighted the extreme danger of the crossing.

Arrivals reached a record of more than 46,000 in 2024. They then fell sharply due to tighter surveillance and greater cooperation with countries of origin and transit.

Spain's Ministry of the Interior said 13,327 irregular migrants and refugees arrived by sea between January and October, 5.5 percent fewer than in the same period last year.

Patrols off Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco have pushed departures further south, from The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Guinea, making crossings longer. Senegalese police said on Saturday that they intercepted 142 migrants, including women and young children, off Dakar.

El Hierro's authorities are now awaiting assistance from Madrid, and there are fears the situation could grow even harder if arrivals continue at the current pace.