This is one of many rescue efforts from the last few months. Reports say the impact of COVID-19 on tourism and other industries has caused many Africans to seek work elsewhere.
Thirty-four African migrants have been rescued from the Atlantic Ocean by Spain’s Coast Guard, officials said.
It’s just the latest rescue effort, as officials say more and more migrants are making the dangerous journey to the Canary Islands.
More than 9,000 migrants have made the trek from Western Sahara to the Canaries between January and August this year, Spain’s interior ministry said. That’s up from about 4,000 migrants reported during the same time frame last year.
The Red Cross was waiting to register their arrivals.
In May, 55 migrants traveling in an open canoe were saved 40 miles off of Gran Canaria. They’d reportedly been missing at sea for days when they were found. Another 45 migrants were rescued from a boat in June.
Reports say the impact of COVID-19 on tourism and other industries has caused many Africans to seek work elsewhere.
Many migrants are hoping they will one day get to mainland Spain to look for work or be reunited with family, but the pandemic is preventing many of them from leaving the Canaries.
And with the virus still raging, it is unknown when or if they will reach their desired destination.
