Canary Islands under pressure as 11,000 migrants arrive in 2020

Spanish government trying to increase capacity and stop hundreds of deaths at sea, says migration secretary

Spain's migration secretary has acknowledged that the Canary Islands are struggling to cope with the arrival of more than 11,000 migrants so far this year, but says the government is working to increase reception capacity, manage migration and stop people dying at sea.

The Spanish archipelago, which lies off the coast of north-west Africa, has experienced a massive rise in arrivals compared with last year, which has left resources strained, people sleeping on docks, and the regional government saying it has been overwhelmed.