The alert about the vessel, which had departed from Tan-Tan, Morocco, was received around 11:00 AM by the coordination center in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The alert indicated the dinghy was heading towards the Archipelago.
Maritime controllers dispatched the vessel Salvamar Acrux for the search, and the ship Eptalofos was diverted to assist and monitor the dinghy until the rescue team arrived. The merchant ship spotted the vessel about three miles away.
Finally, the Salvamar Acrux completed the rescue of the 77 people on board, all of Sub-Saharan origin, around 2:06 PM.
Following the operation, the rescue vessel headed for the port of Arrecife, where the migrants were expected to disembark around 5:00 PM. This intervention adds to the regular rescues on the dangerous Atlantic route towards the Canary Islands coast.
