Maritime Rescue escorts a canoe with 21 people to La Restinga (El Hierro)

The Río Tajo patrol boat of the Civil Guard issued the first alert, and the crew of the Navia rescue vessel from Maritime Rescue escorted the boat to the port of La Restinga.

The Maritime Rescue vessel Navia escorted a canoe carrying 21 passengers—all Sub‑Saharan men—to the port of La Restinga on El Hierro on Sunday, according to sources from the state agency and emergency teams cited by EFE.

The Civil Guard’s patrol boat Río Tajo raised the initial alarm at 14:20, reporting that it had sighted the canoe about eleven kilometres south of La Restinga and moved to intercept it.

After an initial escort by the armed patrol boat, the Navia took over, accompanying the migrants to the harbor where they disembarked shortly after 15:00 local Canary time.

Upon arrival, they received assistance from the Canary Islands Emergency Service and the Red Cross.