The International Organization for Migration stated on Wednesday that it is believed that more than 60 individuals lost their lives following the discovery of a migrant boat from Senegal near the Cape Verde islands in West Africa.
Among the passengers, there were 63 fatalities, and the survivors, totaling 38 people, included four children aged between 12 and 16, as communicated by IOM spokesperson Safa Msehli to AFP.
The vessel, a lengthy wooden fishing boat referred to as a “pirogue,” was sighted in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday, approximately 150 nautical miles (277 kilometers) away from the Cape Verdean island of Sal, according to local law enforcement.
The attention of Cape Verdean authorities was drawn to the vessel by a Spanish fishing ship that spotted it.
The Cape Verde archipelago is situated around 600 kilometers (350 miles) offshore along the maritime migration path towards the Spanish Canary Islands, which serves as an entry point to the European Union.
In a related incident, where another boat capsized in the DR Congo, emergency services recovered the remains of seven individuals. Additionally, it is suspected that 56 people are missing.
Msehli informed AFP that when individuals are reported missing after a shipwreck, they are generally presumed to have perished.
As disclosed by Senegal’s foreign ministry on Tuesday through AFP, the boat embarked from the Senegalese fishing village of Fasse Boye on July 10, carrying 101 individuals.
Source: AFP
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