Two people have been rescued alive but 17 others were found dead after the boat they were all travelling in capsized off Senegal’s capital city, according to local officials.
Divers and firefighters are still searching in Dakar, a day after the vessel was first discovered.
President Macky Sall has offered his “heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims”, who he says were Senegalese.
It’s not known where the passengers were going, but their canoe-like boat suggests they were migrants, says Ouakam neighborhood Mayor Ndeye Top Gueye.
Migrant deaths at sea are becoming more common in Senegal. The Atlantic migration route is one of the deadliest in the world, with nearly 800 people dying or going missing in the first half of 2023 according to Spanish aid group Walking Borders.
Search operations have also taken place recently in Spain, to find migrant boats from Senegal that have gone missing, carrying more than 300 people, according to the NGO Caminando Fronteras.
Source:Fiilafmonline/BBC
