Migtrant Birth On Rescue Boat Off Canary Islands

A newborn baby has been born on a Marine Rescue vessel which was sent to save 34 migrants from an inflatable boat 37 miles off the Spanish Canary Islands.

A Marine Rescue vessel rescued the people from the boat on Tuesday evening 37 miles off the coast of Fuerteventura, in the south-western Spanish region of the Canary Islands.

The 34 people on-board, whose nationalities have not been reported, were taken to the port of Rosario by the Marine Rescue where they were attended by paramedics from the emergency services of the Canary Islands and the Red Cross.

Local media report a pregnant woman gave birth to her baby during the transfer to Rosario, with mother and daughter being transferred to hospital with another woman after they reached land.

It is the second case this year of a heavily pregnant woman giving birth while being rescued after an incident on 8th January when a woman was saved from a vessel trying to reach the city of Lanzarote. The baby boy reportedly died.

The influx in reported migrants trying to reach Spain has come despite the country’s coronavirus lockdown, and warnings that they will be refused entry because of the pandemic.