MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The warning reportedly came as the Spanish maritime rescue service rescued nearly 600 people on 15 rafts on Wednesday.
"The state isn’t prepared and there aren’t even the resources and the means to deal with the usual flow of people arriving by sea… Given the current rise, we’re seeing an overflow situation when it comes to local authorities trying to cope at arrival points," Maria Jesus Vega was quoted as saying by The Guardian newspaper.
There is a large number of vulnerable people, including women and children among the arriving migrants, and called for mechanism to ensure that "people are treated with dignity when they come," the UNHCR spokeswoman noted.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said last week that Spain could overtake Greece this year in the number of refugees reaching Europe by sea.
More than 100,000 migrants arrived in Europe by sea since the beginning of this year, according to IOM.