El Hierro declares emergency after more than 3,300 migrants arrive by boat
El Hierro has declared a state of emergency after more than 3,300 migrants arrived by boat since the start of November. The island is seeking government support and temporary accommodation for new arrivals.
Review information is loading.
The island of El Hierro has declared a state of emergency after more than 3,300 migrants arrived by boat in the first week of November, prompting local officials to seek support from Spain’s central government.
The arrivals were spread across about 30 boats, according to El Hierro authorities. The island is seeking temporary accommodation for the new arrivals, while council president Alpidio Armas said conditions at the local hospital had become “undesirable”.
Thousands of migrants have reached the Canary Islands or been rescued at sea in recent weeks. Armas said the emergency declaration was intended to provide a framework for co-operation with higher levels of government as arrivals sharply increased.
Sign in to give this article a thumbs up or down.
About this discussion and AI questions
Private test discussion. Comments are readers’ views and are not yet automatically fact-checked. Editing is available for 60 seconds after posting.
Sign in with a confirmed reader account and choose a username to read comments and participate.
Sorting applies to top-level comments; replies remain oldest first. New comments and likes can change the order. Refresh for the current ranking.
Loading comments…