More than 400 migrants on seven boats attempting to reach Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife have been rescued by Spain's coastguard.
52 women and 33 children attempted to reach Spain's Canary Islands. Lanzarote saw the most arrivals, with 209 people of Sub-Saharan and North African heritage.
Enrique Espinosa, manager of Lanzarote's Security and Emergency Consortium said that "the first boat arrived early today with 48 people on board, and three more boats have now arrived and been picked up."
More and more migrants are undertaking the perilous journey from North Africa to European ports, many with the goal of reaching an EU country.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees stated that 97% of the 266,940 migrants who arrived in southern European countries last year did so by sea.
Spain: At least 400 migrants sailed to the Canary Islands
