Since last Monday, more than 280 irregular migrants have reached the coasts of the Pitiusas Islands, especially Formentera. In fact, on Wednesday alone, up to 140 people who had just arrived by boat were intercepted on the island. According to the Balearic Islands Government Delegation, at around 5.40 a.m. on Wednesday, 14 people of Maghreb origin were rescued south of Formentera by the Maritime Rescue Service. A few minutes earlier, at 5.30 a.m., another 25 migrants were located on Es Migjorn beach.
The trickle of small boats has been constant since then. After 9 a.m., 15 more people were found wandering along a road in Formentera after arriving on the island in a small boat. They were also all of North African origin. During the early hours of Wednesday morning, another six boats arrived on the Pitiusan island. The first boat, found after midnight, was carrying 22 people who were intercepted on land by the Civil Guard, the Citizen Security Unit (USECIC) and the Formentera Local Police. Later, around 2 a.m., nine more migrants were found on Migjorn beach.
The other three boats arrived at the Pitiusa Islands between 3:00 and 3:30 a.m., two of them landing on Migjorn Beach. Officers intercepted 35 people there. Another boat was intercepted around eight miles south of Formentera, with 18 migrants rescued. The Government Delegation also noted that three more boats carrying a total of 42 migrants (27 from the Maghreb and 15 from sub-Saharan Africa) were located in Formentera on Tuesday.