Nearly 1,500 migrants arrive in British tourist hotspot in single day

Spanish coastguards rescued 1,488 migrants from 14 boats near the Canary Islands over the weekend, the highest single-day total in six years. The surge has intensified pressure on El Hierro, a small island popular with British holidaymakers, and prompted local authorities to declare an emergency.

One boat carried about 240 people, including 12 women and 36 children; most of those rescued were from Senegal, Gambia and Guinea Conakry. More than 5,000 migrants had arrived on El Hierro this month, whose population is about 12,000, while authorities said they were struggling to cope. The Atlantic crossing from West Africa is perilous, and at least nine migrants have died near the islands in recent weeks.