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18-08-2023
DAKAR: More than 60 migrants have possibly lost their lives after a boat carrying them was found capsized at Cape Verde peninsula of Senegal in the West African region, as per the official notice.
Thirty-eight people, including children, were rescued, media 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 stop additional migrant deaths, Cape Verde officials have called for worldwide action.
The vessel was first spotted on Monday, media reported citing police officials. While initial reports suggested the boat had sunk, it was later clarified that it had been found drifting.
A Spanish fishing boat spotted the wooden pirogue-style boat capsized some 320 kilometers (200 miles) off Sal, and immediately contacted the authorities, the police added.
An International Organization for Migration (IOM) official also confirmed that four children between the ages of 12 and 16 are among the survivors.
According to survivors, the boat departed the Senegalese fishing community of Fasse Boye on July 10 with 101 people on board, Senegal’s foreign ministry said Tuesday.
Nearly all those on the boat had grown up in the community and some local families were still awaiting news on whether their relatives were among the survivors, Moda Samb, an elected official in the village, told media.
The ministry declared that it was coordinating with Cape Verdean authorities to set up the repatriation of Senegalese people.
As per reports, passengers also hail from Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau.
The survivors’ conditions were improving and they were being looked after, with a focus on rehydration and tests for conditions like malaria, Jose Moreira, a health official on Sal, added.
Moreover, Health Minister Filomena Goncalves said: “We know that migration issues are global issues, which require international cooperation, a lot of discussions, and global strategy.
“We all, all the nations have to sit down at the table and see what we can do so that we don’t lose any more lives at sea, above all.” (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
