More than 60 people are feared dead after a boat carrying mostly Senegalese asylum seekers capsized off the coast of Cape Verde in the Atlantic Ocean.
Key points:
- Seven bodies were found dead onboard and an estimated 56 people are missing
- Thirty-eight survivors were rescued earlier in the week near Cape Verde
- The migration route is typically used by migrants trying to reach Spain
Seven dead bodies were found on the boat, while an estimated 56 people are missing at sea and presumed dead, said International Organization for Migration (IOM) spokesperson Safa Msehli.
According to Senegal’s foreign affairs ministry, 38 survivors were rescued earlier in the week near Cape Verde, an archipelago off the coast of West Africa.
The boat left Senegal on July 10 with 101 passengers on board.
The migration route from the coast of West Africa to the Canary Islands is typically used by migrants trying to reach Spain.
“Safe and regular pathways to migration are sorely lacking, which is what gives room to smugglers and traffickers to put people on these deadly journeys,” Ms Msehli said.
IOM is collecting information and did not yet have details about the latest incident, she added.
Fass Boye resident Cheikh Awa Boye said he has two nephews among the missing.
“They wanted to go to Spain,” Mr Boye said.
Nearly 1,000 migrants died while trying to reach Spain by sea in the first six months of 2023, charity Walking Borders says.
At least 15 people drowned when a boat carrying asylum seekers capsized off the coast of Senegal’s capital Dakar in late July.
Wires