Spanish police and rescue vessels have intercepted five boats carrying 380 illegal migrants off the coast of the Canary Island of Tenerife.
Yesterday's operation brings the total number of illegal immigrant arrivals to the Canary Islands so far this year to 5,908, an Interior Ministry spokeswoman said.
Thousands of people try to reach Europe through Spain each year, an increasing number of them setting off from Mauritania and Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara.
Last year authorities caught 4,751 African migrants trying to reach the Canary Islands, while at least 1,000 more are believed to have died trying to make the crossing.