Spanish Marine Rescue (Salvamento Marítimo) on Monday night, May 25, transferred 51 people located adrift in an open boat (patera), just 1 nautical mile south of Gran Canaria, to the south west coastal port of Arguineguín.
The patera, all male, were sighted at sea, not far from Arguineguín around midnight, according to sources at the 112 Canary Islands Emergency and Security Coordination Centre.
Staff from the SUC Emergency Services, the main Maspalomas Health Centre and members of the Red Cross helped the group of migrants, who all appear to be in good health, so have had to be transferred to medical centers.
A second arrival
A fishing boat this morning also sighted a second patera, at around 07:45, very close to Las Carpinteras beach, off the southern coast of Gran Canaria, not far from Maspalomas, leading to the deployment of rescue vessel the “Salvamar Menkalinan”, which, upon arrival at the scene, confirmed that its occupants were already ashore.
35 people, initially described by the Red Cross as all males, but later stated by 112 to be 30 males, one female and four minors, again all appear in good health, with none having had to be referred for further medical attention.
All of them are being attended to at the Arguineguín harbour by medical staff, Red Cross, Mogán Civil Protection personnel and members of the Local and National Police.
Red Cross say they were kept waiting there in Arguineguín until they could be safely relocated to a facility where they can comply with the mandated 14 days of quarantine required by law under the current State of Emergency in Spain due to COVID-19.
3 migrants who arrived in a similar manner last week have previously tested positive for corona virus, so every possible precaution is being taken.
