Immigrants continue to flood the Canary Islands

Immigrants continue to flood the Canary Islands
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By h.b. - Mar 14, 2006 - 1:30 AM

Some of the immigrants to arrive in Fuerteventura over the weekend - Photo EFE

78 immigrants rescued off Gran Canaria on Monday and a total of 211 immigrants arrived on the islands over the weekend.

The avalanche of illegal immigrants in the Canary Islands continues.

The Coastguard has rescued 78 people off the southern coast of the island of Gran Canaria. They were travelling in two vessels which a fishing boat and a patrol vessel spotted on Monday.

The first boat was located just before 1.30 in the afternoon, 20 miles to the south of Maspalomas. The other arrived at the port of Arguineguín at 7.30 in the evening. It was spotted by a fishing boat 60 miles off Gran Canaria in the morning.

And on the mainland, a boat carrying 60 illegal immigrants has been intercepted off the coast of Adra.
The authorities say that at least three of the passengers are women.

A total of 98 immigrants from the reception centre on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura have been brought to mainland Spain today, to relieve conditions on the Canaries.

Two flights were chartered by the Spanish government which is now trying to take measures with the authorities in Mauritania to try and stem the new flood of immigrants trying to reach Spanish soil.

Over the weekend a total of 211 people arrived there on a new longer and more dangerous route in search of their future. So far this year 1,523 people have arrived on the Canary Islands in this way.

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