Baby girl born on African migrant boat off Spain's Canary Islands

A baby girl was born on a migrant dinghy en route to Spain's Canary Islands this week, Spain's rescue service said on Wednesday, publishing a photograph of the newborn, its mother and dozens of other migrants on the crowded boat.

The vessel was first spotted off the island of Lanzarote on January 6, as Spain celebrated the Epiphany holiday, when local children traditionally receive presents from the Three Kings.

When the coastguard ship arrived, it found the mother and baby both in good health. A total of 60 people were on board, including 14 women and four children.

Domingo Trujillo, the captain of the rescue vessel, told broadcaster TVE they knew there was a pregnant woman on board.

"The surprise was [that we found] a totally naked baby who was born 10, 15 or 20 minutes earlier," he said.

The woman was lying on the floor of the crowded boat while the baby was in the hands of someone else near her, he recalled.

"I covered him up, took him here [to my chest] and patted him so that he would stop crying," he said.

Medics onboard recommended the mother and baby be transferred to a hospital by helicopter.

Alvaro Serrano Perez, commander of the helicopter, told Reuters: "Being Three Kings Day this was the best gift we could have received."

The seven Spanish islands off northwestern Africa's Atlantic coast are struggling to absorb a surge in irregular migrants, mainly from Mali, Senegal and Morocco.

The archipelago hit an all-time annual high for a second year in a row with 46,843 arrivals in 2024, constituting 73% of the illegal migration to Spain, according to the latest data from the Interior Ministry.

• The baby's gender has been amended from boy to girl after new information from regional government and medical authorities.