The Balearic Islands are facing an unprecedented surge in migrant landings, fuelling fears the Mediterranean holiday hotspot could be turning into a major new gateway for irregular migration into Europe.
In the space of three days this week, 639 migrants reached the islands - comprising Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera - aboard 38 small boats. So far this year, 4,500 migrants have arrived there, according to the Spanish government.
The startling figures mark a 170 per cent jump on the same period in 2024. This is also more than 500 per cent higher than in 2023.
Amid the looming migration crisis, authorities in the islands say they have been left to cope with the issue alone, with limited support from the government.
The majority of the boats are believed to have left from Algeria, signalling that the central Mediterranean route is gathering pace while the once-busy flow from Mauritania to the Canary Islands has collapsed.
