Sunbathers help migrants washed up on Gran Canaria beach
The migrants' rickety boat came ashore after a treacherous six days navigating the rough waters of the Atlantic.
Sunday 1 December 2019 06:41, UK
Three children and a pregnant woman were among some two dozen migrants helped by sunbathers after washing up on a beach in the Canary Islands.
Their rickety boat landed on the shores of Aguila in Gran Canaria, with those on-board having spent six days navigating the rough waters of the Atlantic.
Red Cross officials deployed to the beach said the migrants, from northern and sub-Saharan Africa, were exhausted, cold and in a state of shock upon arrival - with one of the infants since taken to hospital with a fever.
Tourists and locals alike who had been on the beach to enjoy the sun have been praised for assisting the aid workers, with one woman seen cradling a young migrant while another gave her water.
Another was seen offering up a towel to help a weary man dry off and get warm, and all of the migrants were also given food, water and thermal blankets
Jose Antonio Rodriguez from the Red Cross said: "It was a really tough journey. They were the first ones to help out, giving them food, water and milk for the babies after they saw how hungry they were.
"They also gave clothing as the migrants were soaking wet."
Almost 30,000 migrants have arrived in Spain this year.
The interior ministry reported that 27,594 had entered the country by mid-November, a decrease of more than 50% compared to the same period last year.
However, there has been a 22% increase in the Canary Islands, where 1,493 had arrived by mid-November.