"This morning, the Guardamar Caliope vessel rescued 40 people from a small boat and transferred them to [the Canary Islands' city of] Arrecife. The Hellimer 204 vessel and the Pollonit fishing boat took part in the rescue operation as well," the agency wrote on X.
Later in the day, rescue workers said they had found 37 more undocumented migrants, including a girl and a woman, aboard another stranded vessel. They were also transported to Arrecife.
Large groups of undocumented immigrants regularly attempt to cross Spain's southern and island borders. In late October, the Spanish government allocated 50 million euros ($54.2 million) to the Canary Islands amid the worsening migration crisis to improve integration opportunities and prevent illegal migration at its source.