The vessel Salvamar Diphda escorted the occupants of the boat, located in Canarian waters, to the port of La Restinga. The Guardia Civil had alerted the Salvamento Marítimo center in Tenerife to the radar detection of the potential boat.
Maritime controllers mobilized the rescue unit, which sighted the vessel half a mile away and proceeded with the escort. The rescue was completed around 3:00 PM, and none of the individuals required transfer to the Hospital Insular Nuestra Señora de los Reyes for medical attention.
The 40 migrants, of Sub-Saharan origin and in apparent good health, were attended at the port by the Immediate Response Team in Emergencies (ERIE) of the Red Cross, the Canary Islands Emergency Service (SUC), surveillance staff from the Port of La Restinga, the Guardia Civil, and the National Police.
According to the migrants' accounts, they had undertaken an eight-day journey, departing from Barra (Gambia). On board were individuals from Gambia, Senegal, and Guinea-Conakry.
In the coming hours, the occupants of the boat will be transferred to the Temporary Center for Foreigners (CATE) in San Andrés, within the municipality of Valverde. There, they will receive care from the NGO "Corazón naranja – Ebrima Sonko" and will remain under police custody until they are referred to other resources.
