60 People Rescued Off Formentera – Authorities Report Three Rescue Operations

Several Rescue Operations Southeast of Formentera

In a night with little sleep for the responders, three boats with people aboard were spotted southeast of Formentera. The Civil Guard and the Sea Rescue Service (Salvamento Marítimo) brought a total of 60 people to land – spread across several operations between Friday evening and the early hours of Saturday morning.

How it unfolded

The first operation began on Friday when a patrol boat 24 nautical miles southeast of Formentera picked up several people from the Sub-Saharan region aboard a small boat. Later authorities reported a second operation farther out: there were about 60 nautical miles off the coast where people were found, who were registered and originate from the Maghreb, according to authorities.

And then, in the early hours of Saturday morning, the picture looked again different: a group of 21 people was found on the beach of La Fragata on Formentera. Passersby had apparently alerted the authorities – the newcomers were subsequently handed over to the responsible authorities.

What the numbers mean

The situation in the Balearic Islands remains tense. According to official figures, since the start of the year already 282 boats with a total of around 5,245 people have arrived on the islands. For comparison: in the full year 2024, about 5,882 people had landed on the Balearics by sea. The current figures are therefore well above last year's level.

Voices from the coast

In La Savina last night a fisherman with worn rubber boots sat on the quay and shook his head: You see them coming, sometimes out of nowhere. The boats are small, the sea can be cruel. A rescue services employee said the operations ran routinely, but the strain on staff and resources is growing noticeably.

On site, the weather remains a factor; the sea can turn quickly. For families living on Formentera, these nights are already a topic of conversation at the coffeehouse.

What matters now

The authorities register and care for the arrivals, verify identities, and initiate legal steps. At the same time, the discussion about prevention, EU cooperation and safe migration routes is growing. For the moment, however, they are men and women landing on a beach or on a ship – and people whose fate is in the hands of the rescuers.