Over recent hours, multiple vessels have been spotted along different sections of the coast, with activity reported from Wednesday night through Thursday afternoon. In Alicante province, reports indicate around thirty people were onboard one or more craft, according to sea rescue authorities.
The most recent vessel was located around 16:24 on Thursday near Santa Pola, with between eight and twelve people aboard, all men. A rescue operation was promptly mobilized, involving the Salvamar Leo rescue unit.
The first vessel sighting occurred on Wednesday night, half a mile off the coast, carrying ten people, including men identified as North African. Rescue teams, alerted by police, worked in coordination with the Civil Guard, the LS Rescue Boat, and the Tabarca support, guiding the group to Altea port around 23:29.
Shortly after midnight, another craft was located following a tip near Benidorm beach. This boat carried twelve people, eleven men and one woman. A five-meter motor boat was involved, and Salvamar Leo was dispatched to conduct the rescue. The rescued individuals were brought to Alicante before 4 a.m., where a medical tent was established to provide post-rescue care.
Balearic Islands
Thursday proved to be notably busy for maritime movements in the Mediterranean, with six additional boats arriving at dawn along the Balearic coast. The dispersal of these arrivals saw three vessels to the south of Mallorca and three to Ibiza, totaling eighty-one immigrants reported in the early hours of the day.
According to the Government Delegation, at 12:12, Civil Guard and Sea Rescue teams rescued thirteen people of North African origin who were in good health and reported sailing on a crafts near Cabrera, a national park located south of Mallorca.
In the same vicinity, another person was reported dead at around 05:45, while a fifteen-meter vessel carrying sixteen people, also of North African origin and apparently in good health, was located nearby.
Early in the morning, eleven additional irregular migrants arrived by boat in Ibiza, presenting themselves at the Local Police offices in the capital city, Sant Antoni, around 7:20 a.m. Similarly, twelve more migrants went to Civil Guard offices in Sant Josep around 7:30 a.m., with all individuals from North Africa and in good health.
A separate incident at 9:15 near Cabrera Island saw Sea Rescue and Civil Guard unit personnel rescuing seventeen North African men who had been aboard a boat. Later, at 13:15, twelve people of Maghreb origin who had reached land near Cavallet Beach on Ibiza were rescued after arriving on the Balearic coast by boat. These events reflect ongoing challenges in the Mediterranean region regarding irregular migration and search and rescue operations.
As the year progresses, authorities report a cumulative rise in detected arrivals, with figures indicating significant movement along the Balearic route and consistent rescue activity across the archipelago. The prevailing trend involves a mix of small craft with mixed genders and a predominance of migrants from North Africa, highlighting continued humanitarian and security considerations for coastal communities and rescue services. Observers note that the season’s early activity aligns with patterns seen in previous years, underscoring the need for coordinated response efforts among regional agencies and national authorities. Marked citations are provided by official agencies and news agencies for ongoing updates on these events.
Overall totals indicate that several dozen boats have reached the Balearic Islands to date, with a substantial number of migrants counted across major coastal zones. The data reflect ongoing searches, rescues, and administrative processing as coast guard operations continue to adapt to fluctuating migratory flows observed along the Mediterranean corridor. Cited authorities emphasize the importance of safety protocols for rescued individuals and continued cooperation between civil protection services and local authorities to manage the humanitarian response in these high-traffic coastal areas.