(AFP) The number of migrants reaching the Canary Islands more than doubled in the first 7.5 months of 2024 as Spain’s prime minister announced plans to visit west Africa next week.
Figures show that 22,304 migrants reached the Atlantic archipelago in the period to August 15, up from 9,864 in the same period a year earlier, interior ministry numbers show.
The figure represents a 126-percent increase year on year.
With the figures soaring, the office of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he would leave on August 27 for a three-day visit to Mauritania, The Gambia and Senegal, whose shores have seen countless boats packed with migrants setting sail for the Spanish archipelago.
