Spain's Canary Islands are facing growing pressure on migrant reception centres, as boats carrying migrants from the coasts of West Africa across the Atlantic Ocean continue to arrive.
Spanish media reported that 48 boats arrived in recent days, most of them heading to the island of El Hierro, carrying hundreds of migrants, including 438 unaccompanied minors.
In a related development, Spanish authorities rescued 578 more migrants on Monday off the islands of El Hierro, Gran Canaria and Tenerife.
The Spanish government is preparing to discuss the consequences of the rising arrivals and measures to strengthen reception and care capacity in the archipelago.
