A total of 412 people reached the Balearic Islands in small boats over the course of a single week, in 23 separate vessels that set out from the coast of North Africa.
Most of those on board were from the Maghreb, with a smaller number from sub-Saharan Africa.
Friday
Two boats were intercepted early on Friday:
- at 2.40am, a boat carrying 22 people was found 10 nautical miles south of Cabrera and its occupants were picked up by the Guardia Civil and Santanyí’s sea rescue service;
- at 5.50am, a second boat with 27 people reached the coast near Cala Santanyí. Because the area is difficult to reach, the operation required the local police, the Guardia Civil and the sea rescue service working together.
Thursday: the busiest day
Thursday saw the most arrivals, with 121 people in nine boats.
- Several boats reached Formentera early in the morning, between 6.15am and 9am.
- At 9.25am a boat arrived at Cala Santanyí in Mallorca.
- Between 11am and 1pm two more boats were intercepted off Cabrera.
- Later in the day further boats landed on Es Caló beach in Formentera.
Wednesday
On Wednesday, five boats brought 112 people, both North African and sub-Saharan. Most came ashore in Formentera.
The Algerian route
Almost all of the boats reaching the Balearics use the so-called Algerian route, setting out from the coast around Algiers, Boumerdès or Oran. The crossing of around 300 km can take more than a day in small, overloaded boats, and the summer months, with calmer seas, usually see the highest numbers.
Pressure on services
Once ashore, people are given medical checks and processed by the National Police, usually in Palma, before being transferred. The repeated arrivals in Formentera, which has very limited facilities, have put particular strain on the island’s services, and the Balearic government has repeatedly asked Madrid for more resources to deal with the route.
