What should visitors and residents in the south know now?

Nothing has changed for travellers so far: by Saturday 7 November no authority had published a rule, closure or deadline for residents and visitors on El Hierro. The reports mention no closed roads.

The boats dock at the quays of La Restinga and La Estaca, the emergency services said. La Restinga is the island's southern port and the usual landing point for cayucos on the Atlantic route.

Salvamento Marítimo (the sea rescue service) and the Guardia Civil help with the landings at La Restinga. If you have a trip or appointment there, check with the provider first, as the authorities have issued no warning.

The Cabildo (island government) has declared a social emergency because public services are under strain. Which services are affected, it has not yet published.

How many people arrived on 7 November, and where?

The Canaries counted 743 arrivals since midnight, according to the emergency services. Of these, 600 reached El Hierro in six cayucos, and 143 were rescued from an inflatable boat off Lanzarote.

Three cayucos carrying 67, 55 and 164 people docked at La Restinga on Saturday, 286 people in total. Salvamento Marítimo and the Guardia Civil helped with the landings.

Three more boats, with 205, 41 and 68 people, arrived in the early hours. The sources name the quays of La Restinga and La Estaca but give no exact split between the boats.

The inflatable off Lanzarote was the most overloaded known on the Canaries route, the emergency services said. It carried 143 people, including ten women and five minors.

Where are people taken from El Hierro?

A ferry took 600 people who had arrived earlier from El Hierro to Tenerife during the night to Saturday. The emergency services plan to move another 560 to the main islands in the afternoon.

The Delegación del Gobierno (the central government's delegation) confirmed further transfers, including from Tenerife to Gran Canaria. From next week, two crossings a day are planned.

The aim is to ease the pressure on El Hierro, the emergency services said. No source has said whether the transfers take up places on scheduled ferries.

How unusual is the rush in November?

Almost 5,000 people had already reached the Canaries in the first days of November, before Saturday's 743 arrivals, the emergency services said. Most went to El Hierro.

By 15 October the Interior Ministry had recorded 8,970 arrivals, against 13,491 a year earlier, a fall of 33.5%. In the first half of October, 1,837 people arrived, after 643 the year before.

On 18 and 19 October, 454 people reached El Hierro in three cayucos, 309 on Sunday and 145 on Monday. Three people died, all from the first boat.

The rush of autumn 2026 runs against a falling trend. Almost 47,000 people reached the Canaries in 2024 and around 18,000 in 2025, according to the Interior Ministry.

Who is responsible, and what remains open?

The Canarian government says it is not responsible for migration and that the state must pay. Social affairs councillor Candelaria Delgado cites this mainly for unaccompanied minors, whose care falls to the region.

After the arrivals of 3 and 4 November, the Canarian government accused the state of “desidia” (neglect). It says it has not received a single call from Pedro Sánchez's government, and the sources contain no reply from Madrid.

Reception capacity, cost per person and the number of deaths in November have not been published. The Cabildo has also made no statement on possible effects for visitors.

What happens next?

Two daily crossings from El Hierro to the main islands are planned from next week. The emergency services gave no exact date or departure times.

The next official figure is the Interior Ministry's fortnightly report for 1 to 15 November. Its publication date is not confirmed.