More than 60 migrants may have lost their lives after a boat capsized off Senegal’s Cape Verde peninsula in the West African region, according to official reports.
Thirty-eight people, including children, were rescued, JEE News reported, adding that footage showed survivors being helped ashore — some on stretchers — on the island of Sal.
It is believed that almost everyone on the boat – which spent more than a month at sea – was from Senegal. To help prevent additional migrant deaths, Cape Verdean authorities have called for worldwide action.
The plane was first spotted on Monday, AFP reported, citing police officials. Although initial reports indicated that the boat had sunk, it was later clarified that it had been found adrift.
Police added that a Spanish fishing boat spotted the overturned wooden pirogue-style boat about 320 kilometers (200 miles) from Sal, and immediately contacted authorities.
An official from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) also confirmed that four children – aged between 12 and 16 – were among the survivors.
According to survivors, the boat departed from the Senegalese fishing community of Fosseboue on July 10 with 101 people aboard, Senegal’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
Moda Samb, an elected village official, told AFP that almost all of the people on the boat had grown up in the community and some local families were still waiting to hear if their relatives were among the survivors. are
The ministry announced that it was coordinating with the Cape Verdean authorities for the repatriation of the Senegalese people.
According to reports, the passengers also belong to Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau.
Jose Moreira, a health official later in the year, added that survivors were improving and being cared for, focusing on rehydration and tests for conditions such as malaria.
Furthermore, Health Minister Filomena Goncalves said: “We know that migration issues are global issues, which require international cooperation, many dialogues and a global strategy.
“All of us – all nations – have to sit at the table and see what we can do so that we don’t lose any more lives at sea.”
JEE News reported that IOM spokeswoman Safa Mashhali said there was a “severe lack” of safe routes for migration and that their absence “gave traffickers and smugglers the space to take people on these deadly journeys”. of”.
It should be noted that while the survivors wound up in Cape Verde, this was not their original destination.
The peninsula is 600 km (370 mi) off the West African coast and is a major migration route to the Canary Islands, a Spanish enclave seen by many as a gateway to the European Union.
According to the IOM, this is one of the most dangerous journeys for refugees.
Although the exact number of illegal migration cases is difficult to ascertain, at least 67,000 migrants arrived in the Canary Islands between 2020 and 2023.
And just over 2,500 people have died in that time. According to IOM, the total includes all registered deaths. Given the random and secretive nature of the route.
Despite the dangerous route and subsequent problems, people continue to risk their lives and families to get to Europe. Why?
Poverty is often considered a major problem. Many see emigration to Europe as a way to a better life and send money back home to support their families.
But there are other elements at work. Much of West Africa is becoming increasingly unstable, and terrorist uprisings and insurgencies are exacerbating an already difficult situation.
Ultimately, there are as many motivations for migration as there are immigrants. Each person has a unique journey and background. At least 60 of them seem to have met a tragic end in the Atlantic Ocean.
