Rescue in the Mediterranean

Woman gives birth to baby on refugee boat

Spanish rescuers published a photo of the newborn surrounded by men, women and children.(Bild: AP)

The crossing from West Africa across the Atlantic to the Canary Islands is considered one of the most dangerous escape routes in the world. Now the Spanish coastguard has been able to rescue a baby born on a migrant boat.

The coastguard announced on X on Wednesday that the newborn and its mother had been rescued safely from the rubber dinghy on Monday.

They were brought to Arrecife on Lanzarote by helicopter. The boat with the migrants on board was reportedly on its way to the Canary Islands.

On Epiphany Day, a baby boy was born off the Spanish island of Lanzarote in a rubber dinghy (pictured) crowded with 60 people.(Bild: AP)

Record number of illegal arrivals
Last year, 46,843 undocumented migrants arrived on the Canary Islands - more than ever before. Stricter controls in the Mediterranean are prompting more and more migrants to make the dangerous journey from West Africa across the Atlantic Ocean to the Canary Islands. 

According to the Spanish aid organization "Caminando Fronteras", at least 9,757 migrants died in 2024 while trying to reach the Canary Islands.