How many people were on the cayuco off El Hierro?

According to emergency sources there were 48 people, all of them men. Four of them could be minors; that figure is not confirmed.

Where did those rescued come from?

By their own account the people come from Senegal and Gambia. The crossing from Senegal is said to have taken eight days.

Where were the people taken after the rescue?

They are to go to the Centro de Atención Temporal de Extranjeros (CATE) in San Andrés, municipality of Valverde. The NGO Corazón Naranja – Ebrima Sonko looks after them there, and they stay in police custody until they are transferred.

How many people have arrived in the Canaries so far in 2026?

From 1 January to 30 September 2026 it was 7,179 people in pateras and cayucos according to an emergency-services count, of whom 5,648 reached El Hierro and Lanzarote.

What is known about the condition of the injured?

Two people were taken to hospital. Canarias Ahora and RTVC give no details on their condition.

El Hierro: cayuco with 48 people reaches La Restinga

On Friday, 2 October 2026, Salvamento Marítimo escorted a cayuco with 48 people, located just over eight kilometres off El Hierro, to the port of La Restinga. All those aboard are men, according to emergency sources, and two of them were taken to hospital. The details rest on Canarias Ahora and RTVC.

3 October 2026 · By Lucía Medina Reyes · 5 min.

What happened off El Hierro on Friday?

Around 15:00 on Friday, 2 October 2026, Salvamento Marítimo picked up a radar signal off El Hierro. The Salvamar Dipdha went to the spot and escorted the cayuco to the port of La Restinga.

According to Canarias Ahora, the boat was a little more than eight kilometres from the island. The newspaper published its report at 18:36 Canary time, and RTVC followed at 18:44.

At the port an emergency team treated those arriving. It took two people to hospital. Neither report gives details on their condition or on any other injured.

Who was aboard the cayuco?

Aboard were 48 people, all of them men according to emergency sources. Four of them could be minors; the reports do not confirm that figure.

By their own account, the people come from Senegal and Gambia. They are said to have been at sea for eight days from Senegal. These details rest on the statements of those rescued themselves.

Where are those rescued going now?

Those rescued are to be taken to the Centro de Atención Temporal de Extranjeros (CATE) in San Andrés, a village in the municipality of Valverde on El Hierro.

The NGO Corazón Naranja – Ebrima Sonko looks after them there. According to Canarias Ahora they stay in police custody until they are transferred to other facilities outside the island. The report gives no date for the transfer.

How does the operation fit into the 2026 figures?

From 1 January to 30 September 2026, 7,179 people arrived in the Canaries in pateras and cayucos, according to a count by the emergency services reported by RTVC. El Hierro and Lanzarote accounted for 5,648 people, just under 80 per cent.

According to the same count, 31 boats reached El Hierro. A cayuco that docks at La Restinga carries 113 people on average, RTVC reports. Friday's boat with 48 people was well below that.

What is still open?

Still open are the exact number of minors, the condition of the two hospital patients and the date of the transfer from the CATE.

We did not find a statement from Salvamento Marítimo itself by 3 October 2026. The details come from rescue-service and emergency-team sources cited by Canarias Ahora and RTVC.