Ibiza and Formentera recorded a series of migrant boat arrivals on Wednesday, September 16, with 89 people intercepted or rescued across the two islands during a wider wave of arrivals affecting the Balearic Islands.

The figures are based on information from the Delegation of the Government in the Balearic Islands, with the day's operations involving the Guardia Civil, Salvamento Marítimo and other emergency and security services.

Multiple Arrivals Across Ibiza and Formentera

On Ibiza, 26 people were intercepted in two separate operations.

At 5:35am, 20 people of Maghrebi origin were located at the Botafoc breakwater in the Port of Ibiza. Later, at 6:40am, another six people were rescued along the coastline of Playa d'en Bossa.

Formentera recorded four separate boat arrivals during the day, involving a total of 63 people.

The first operation took place at around 4am in Es Copinar, where 12 people were intercepted. At 8am, another 15 people were located in the Es Caló area, followed by a further group of 19 at La Mola at 9:09am.

A fourth operation took place at around 1:30pm in the s'Estufador area, where 17 people were intercepted.

89 People Across the Pitiusas

Taken together, the operations on the two islands accounted for 89 people.

The initial morning operations had accounted for 53 people in Ibiza and Formentera, but additional arrivals later in the morning and afternoon increased the Pitiusas total.

The distinction is important because the 53-person figure reported earlier in the day was not the final total for September 16.

151 People Intercepted Across the Balearic Islands

The arrivals were part of a much wider wave across the archipelago.

According to figures attributed to the Delegation of the Government in the Balearic Islands, a total of 151 people were intercepted or rescued aboard 10 boats during Wednesday.

Four of the boats were recorded in Formentera, three in Mallorca, two in Ibiza and one in waters close to Cabrera.

In addition to the arrivals in the Pitiusas, operations were carried out in Mallorca and around Cabrera. These included the interception of 18 people at Cala Galiota in Colònia de Sant Jordi, the rescue of seven people approximately three nautical miles south of Cabrera, and further operations in the Santanyí area.

2026 Arrivals Continue to Rise

The latest figures reported for September 16 put the number of people who had arrived in the Balearic Islands by boat during 2026 at 5,778, across 313 boats.

These figures are based on data compiled from information provided by the Ministry of the Interior and the Delegation of the Government in the Balearic Islands.

The 2026 figure should be understood as a cumulative count of people arriving in the archipelago by boat, rather than a measure of individual journeys or boats alone.

A Rapidly Changing Situation

The sequence of arrivals on September 16 illustrates how quickly the daily figures can change.

The first reports from Ibiza and Formentera counted 53 people during the early morning period. Further operations at La Mola and s'Estufador subsequently increased the Pitiusas total to 89.

For Ibiza and Formentera, authorities continue to respond to individual arrivals through coordinated operations involving the Guardia Civil, the maritime services and other emergency personnel.