Seven die after boat rescue off Lanzarote

Seven people died aboard an inflatable boat rescued about 150 kilometres north-east of Arrecife, Lanzarote, early on Monday, 2 November 2026, Diario de Avisos reported. Salvamento Marítimo said the Guardamar Urania rescued 132 survivors at about 5.20am.

The boat had carried 139 people. Two bodies were recovered aboard; survivors said five others had been thrown into the Atlantic during the crossing. The causes of the deaths and the circumstances in which the five bodies went into the sea remain unclear, Diario de Avisos reported.

Further rescues

Salvamento Marítimo’s Salvamar Acrux brought 59 people ashore after rescuing a boat about eight kilometres off Lanzarote’s north coast. The Salvamar Al Nair rescued a further 71 people from two boats. Diario de Avisos reported that 262 people were rescued alive near Lanzarote on Monday across four boats.

On El Hierro, the Salvamar Navia brought 90 people to La Restinga at about 7.45am. Across Lanzarote and El Hierro, 352 people were rescued alive in five boats that day, according to Diario de Avisos.

Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo criticised the central government over the rise in the Atlantic migration route, 20minutos reported. He said the islands continued to lack answers and called for measures, resources and anticipation. In a post on X, he said the route was claiming lives again, this time off Lanzarote.

Sources: Diario de Avisos; 20minutos; Europa Press; elDiario.es.