Harare — At least 15 people drowned on July 24, 2023 when a boat carrying migrants and refugees capsized off the coast of Dakar. This is the latest tragedy involving desperate refugees making risky maritime voyages to reach Europe, Al Jazeera reports.
“I express my deep sorrow following the death of around fifteen Senegalese people following the sinking of a pirogue (a long wooden boat) off the coast of Dakar. My heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims,” Sall said in a statement. account.
The bodies were recovered by the navy, and based on the kind of boat they were in, it is thought that they were migrants, according to Ndeye Top Gueye, the deputy mayor of Dakar’s Ouakam neighborhood, where they were located.
“Because of the size and shape, we know that it’s a pirogue,” Gueye is reported to have said.
Although this is the first instance of victims washing up in the area, she noted that migrant fatalities at sea are on the rise in Senegal.
An increase of migrant boats trying to go across the Atlantic to Spain’s Canary Islands has been seen in Senegal. Despite being one of the deadliest routes, multiple incidents haven’t stopped people from travelling there. Earlier, on July 13, Senegal’s navy said that it had stopped a boat carrying about 70 migrants who were attempting the risky trip. This was the third documented crossing in July, 2023, as more people seek to leave West Africa as the weather becomes warmer.
Numerous middle eastern and north African nationals travel to Europe through the risky maritime route, sometimes in dinghy boats. Nearly 3,800 people died on migration routes within and from the middle eastern and north African regions in January to December 2022. This was the highest number since 2017 when 4,255 deaths were recorded, according to newly released data from the International Organization for Migration.