A small boat carrying migrants to Europe capsized off the northwestern coast of Senegal, resulting in at least 35 fatalities. Emergency services reported that the incident occurred last weekend, and the search for missing individuals is ongoing.
Details of the Incident
The Senegalese Ministry of the Interior initially reported that 21 bodies and one survivor had been recovered from the water, but emphasized that this figure is provisional and may increase as the search continues. According to reports, the death toll has risen to 35, and one survivor has been identified. A source from the Ministry of the Interior stated, "Unfortunately, the death toll is likely to rise."
Condition of the Migrants
Reports indicate that the boat capsized on Saturday near the sandy hills of Lompoul in the Kébémer region. However, Salieu Diouf, founder of the Senegalese migrant aid group "Booza Fi," stated that the boat sank on Friday. He mentioned that the nationality of the victims has not yet been fully confirmed, but "the bodies recovered on Saturday are Senegalese."
Senegalese President, Macky Sall, announced on Facebook that "all officials and state resources have been mobilized to find the missing, care for the survivors, and support the affected families." The Minister of the Interior will also visit the area to meet with the victims' families.
Senegalese authorities also announced that on Friday, they stopped 142 migrants who were traveling in a similar boat towards Spain. These migrants included 23 women, two infants, and two other children from Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, and Nigeria.
On Saturday, authorities in the Canary Island of El Hierro declared a state of emergency as over 3,300 people have arrived on the island in about 30 boats since the beginning of November. Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco have also increased maritime patrols around exit points to redirect boats towards southern regions in Gambia and Guinea-Bissau, which lengthens the journey across this dangerous route.
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