Authorities report the discovery of at least 17 fatalities as a boat capsized in Dakar, the capital of Senegal.
Local officials reported that at least 17 individuals were discovered deceased after a boat capsized in Dakar, Senegal's capital, on Monday.
The navy made the tragic find early in the morning and based on the boat's type, believed the victims to be migrants, as stated by Ndeye Top Gueye, the mayor of the Ouakam neighborhood where the bodies were found. "Because of the size and shape, we know that it’s a pirogue (a long wooden boat)," she remarked.
Although this incident marks the first time bodies have washed up in the area, migrant fatalities at sea have been growing more common in Senegal. "It’s not the first time, it’s the umpteenth time. The government needs to take countermeasures," she emphasized.
The origin and nationalities of the deceased individuals, as well as their intended destination, remain unclear. However, it is important to note that the Atlantic migration route is one of the deadliest globally, with nearly 800 people having lost their lives or gone missing in the first half of 2023, according to the Spanish aid group, Walking Borders.
In recent years, the Canary Islands have emerged as one of the primary destinations for individuals attempting to reach Spain, with a peak of over 23,000 migrants arriving in 2020, as reported by Spain's Interior Ministry.
The majority of these boats set sail from Morocco, Western Sahara, and Mauritania, with fewer departing from Senegal. However, local residents and officials have observed a significant increase in the number of boats departing from Senegal this year.
Various factors, including struggling economies, lack of employment opportunities, extremist violence, political instability, and the impact of climate change, drive migrants to take perilous journeys on overcrowded boats in hopes of reaching the Canaries. In Senegal last month, at least 23 people lost their lives during weeks of protests between opposition supporters and the police.
At the beach where the bodies were discovered, Associated Press reporters witnessed rescuers and volunteers collaborating to bring the capsized boat ashore. The deceased individuals' clothing washed up on the shore and formed a pile as authorities coordinated their response.
This Monday's incident is the most recent in a series of rescued boats and bodies found along Senegal's coastline.
Earlier this month, a tragic incident occurred where eight migrants lost their lives when their boat capsized off the northern coast of Senegal while attempting to reach Europe. Additionally, another vessel was found off the coast of the northern town of Saint-Louis, where seven people were found dead, and 50 others were rescued. However, distressingly, at least 90 people are feared to be missing from that second boat.
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