A baby girl was born at sea on a migrant dinghy en route to Spain from Africa on Monday, as reported by the Spanish maritime rescue service. The rescue workers from Spain's Canary Islands encountered an inflatable raft carrying 60 people, including 14 women and four children, off the coast of the island of Lanzarote. They believed that the mother had given birth just 15 minutes before their arrival.
The captain of the rescue vessel Guardamar Talía described the experience as beautiful and very emotional, noting that this was not the first time a baby was born on a migrant boat. The Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa, saw a 17% rise in irregular migration in 2024, with migrants mainly coming from Mali, Senegal, and Morocco.
The surge in migration is attributed to a deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in West Africa regions, making the Atlantic migration route the deadliest in the world. According to Caminando Fronteras, an NGO advocating for migrants' rights, over 10,000 migrants died or disappeared while trying to reach Spain by sea in 2024, with the majority on the Atlantic route.
Journalist Sally Hayden highlighted the risks migrants face on the Atlantic route, emphasizing the desperation that drives people to take such perilous journeys. Despite efforts to strengthen border controls, migrants continue to seek safer and better lives in Europe.
Spain's Interior Ministry reported nearly 64,000 irregular migrants arriving in the country in 2024, with a significant portion entering through the Canary Islands. The influx of migrants has led to political tensions in Madrid, with the opposition party criticizing the government's response to the migration crisis.
In response to the growing migrant arrivals, Spain has been considering establishing an emergency reception center near Madrid to accommodate migrants reaching its shores. Recent rescue operations near the Canaries have saved additional groups of migrants, underscoring the ongoing challenges posed by irregular migration in the region.
