Spain's Interior Ministry says the number of migrants making the dangerous sea crossing from Africa to the Canary Islands jumped by 160% between January and July compared to the same period last year.
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00:00Four boats carrying more than 300 migrants have docked at the Spanish island of Gran
00:07Canaria in less than 24 hours.
00:10One of the vessels, a wooden boat carrying 64 people, arrived at the island unassisted.
00:17Another of the boats was escorted to port by the Maritime Safety and Rescue Society
00:21after being spotted around 15 kilometers southeast of the archipelago.
00:27That boat was carrying 145 people, all of sub-Saharan African origin.
00:33Spain's Interior Ministry said that the number of migrants arriving by sea to the Canary
00:37Islands jumped by 160 percent between January and July compared to the same period last
00:43year.
00:44The route from Africa to the Canary Islands, which are located off Morocco's southern
00:48coast, is the fastest-growing migration route to Europe.
00:53The European Border Control Agency Frontex says irregular crossings are up 303 percent
00:59from January to May compared to a year ago.