Dakar. At least 39 people died when a boat sank on Sunday off the coast of Mbour in western Senegal, a new tragedy affecting migrants trying to reach Europe, according to an update on Thursday by the Senegalese Navy.
Thirty-nine lifeless bodies were recovered between Sunday and Thursday afternoon, the Navy said on social media.
The search continues, he added, and there are fears that the death toll could be even higher.
The boat “involved in illegal immigration” sank on Sunday off the coast of Mbour.
Senegalese authorities intercepted two more boats carrying 421 migrants.
Twenty children were among those intercepted by a patrol boat, authorities said.
The exact location of the intervention and the nationality of the migrants were not specified.
The victims identified so far are mostly from Mbour, a major fishing port, Prefect Amadu Diop told the Senegalese news agency APS.
Senegal is one of the main departure points for thousands of Africans who have been undertaking the dangerous journey across the Atlantic for years in an attempt to reach Europe.
The migrants mostly try to reach the island via the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands, in overcrowded and sometimes dilapidated boats.
Thousands of people have lost their lives trying to reach Europe by this route in recent years.
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– 2024-09-14 14:43:14
