Canary Islands: More than 400 migrants rescued in Atlantic

ARGUINEGUIN, Spain (AP) — Spanish rescuers have saved and disembarked more than 400 migrants and asylum seekers to the Canary Islands in the past two days as they attempted to reach the Atlantic Ocean archipelago from West Africa on overcrowded and often unsafe boats. On Tuesday alone, Spain’s Maritime Rescue Service rescued more than 130 people from Africa, including several women and small children, bringing them to the Spanish islands of Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura. The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands has been increasingly used by smugglers who launch boats from Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal and even the Gambia. So far this year, more than 18,000 people have reached the Canary Islands this way.