Two more boatloads of Africans land on Canary Islands

MADRID, May 13 (Reuters) Two boats of Africans landed on Spain's Canary Islands today, taking to almost 430 the number of illegal immigrants who have reached Spanish soil since Thursday, the emergency services said.

One boat, with two children among its 77 passengers made it to the island of Hierro overnight and 70 more were towed ashore by coastguards on Gran Canaria.

Morocco has clamped down on human traffickers in recent years, shifting the migrant routes south to Mauritania and making the voyage to the Canaries longer. Thousands of people are believed to drown or die of thirst or exposure on the way.

Warmer weather and calm seas improve people's chances of survival and prompt sudden influxes of boats.

Last year more than 30,000 illegal migrants landed in the islands and Spain's Socialist government scrambled to sign repatriation agreements with more African countries in a bid to stem the flow.

So far this year the Canary Islands have had to deal with only around 2,600, about half the number in the same period last year, Spanish radio said.

REUTERS DS KP1940