Almost 1,500 migrants reached the Canary Islands in the past 24 hours, the most in a single day since 2020, the rescue service said.

Rescuers pulled 1,488 people from the sea from 14 boats. Twelve of the boats landed at El Hierro, and one each at Gran Canaria and Tenerife. The previous one-day record was set on 7 November 2020, when 1,461 people were rescued in waters off the Canaries.

Authorities said one boat carried 240 people, including 12 women and 36 children. Most of the migrants are from Senegal, Gambia and Guinea (Conakry). The rescued people were taken to El Hierro, one of the smallest Canary Islands. As early as last month, arrivals rose sharply and put pressure on reception and emergency services on some of the islands, mostly the smaller and less populated ones.

Spain's minister for territorial policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, visits El Hierro today to discuss the rise in arrivals. Spanish government data show that 5.5% fewer migrants arrived in the Canaries from January to 31 October than in the same period last year.

The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canaries is one of the deadliest migration routes in the world. Every year, thousands of migrants set out for Spanish territory in packed boats, despite rough seas, strong currents and long distances.

Arrivals usually rise in autumn, because the sea along the route is generally calmer and easier to cross.