According to government reports on Thursday, a migrant boat carrying approximately 155 individuals capsized on its way to Europe from Senegal. This incident follows the recent disappearance of 90 migrants traveling to Europe on another boat off the coast of Saint-Louis.
The Atlantic migration route, which is commonly used by Africans, including those from Morocco, Western Sahara, and Mauritania, is known for being one of the deadliest maritime routes in the world.
In response to the capsized boat, the government announced that eight migrants were found dead. The bodies were recovered by the fire department and navy, and a search for survivors has been initiated. Senegalese Interior Minister Felix Abdoulaye Diome provided this information in the city of Saint-Louis, where the bodies were brought. Many of the survivors, who numbered around 155, were injured and are currently receiving treatment in a military zone within the city. The exact number of survivors and missing individuals remains unclear.
In a separate incident, seven individuals were found dead and 50 were rescued on another vessel headed for Europe and discovered off the coast of Saint-Louis. It was reported that at least 90 people are feared missing from this particular boat. Furthermore, Spanish aid group Walking Borders disclosed that approximately 300 people went missing in late June when three boats departed from different cities in Senegal.
Walking Borders also reported that nearly 800 people have died or gone missing on the Atlantic migration route in the first half of 2023.
Recent years have seen an increase in migrants and refugees attempting to reach the Canary Islands, with over 23,000 arrivals in 2020 and more than 7,000 in the first half of this year. These individuals mainly travel from Morocco, Western Sahara, and Mauritania, with a smaller number coming from Senegal. However, since June, at least 19 boats from Senegal have reached the Canary Islands.
Various factors, such as struggling economies, lack of job opportunities, extremist violence, political unrest, and climate change, compel migrants to embark on perilous journeys on overcrowded boats to reach the Canaries. Last month, Senegal experienced weeks of protests resulting in the deaths of at least 23 individuals during clashes between opposition supporters and the police.
Ibnou Diagne, a survivor from one of the boats found earlier this week, spoke to the Associated Press in Saint-Louis after being rescued. Diagne, who boarded the boat from Mbour, Senegal on July 2 in search of better job prospects in Spain, explained that the initial days of the journey were smooth. However, the boat eventually ran out of gas and water, becoming lost along the border of Mauritania and Senegal. The passengers attempted to contact fishermen from Mbour and Saint-Louis, but were unable to due to the lack of a phone network.
According to Diagne, people began to die shortly after these circumstances arose. The first casualty was a sick man, while others perished when the boat collided with the river’s mouth and broke apart. Diagne witnessed the tragic death of a young boy who was injured by a piece of wood.
Fearful of their own lives, many individuals jumped into the water and attempted to swim. Some passengers wanted to dispose of the deceased, but the captain refused. Eventually, the Senegalese gendarme rescued the boat and brought it to Saint-Louis.
Despite the suffering and death that Diagne experienced, he expressed that he would board another boat bound for Spain if given the opportunity, stating, “Without hesitation, if I find another boat I will try again.”
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