Many migrants dead in shipwreck in the Atlantic

 

 

TT-EFE

 

Published 09:45

 

Many migrant journeys via Senegal take place in simple wooden boats like these, photographed on a beach in the capital, Dakar. File photo. Photo: Leo Correa/AP/TT

At least 21 people have died in a shipwreck off the coast of Senegal, amid a surge in migrant journeys along the African Atlantic coast.

The incident occurred off the Kébémer department in northwestern Senegal, according to the country’s Ministry of the Interior.

The preliminary death toll stands at 21. One person is reported to have survived, and search operations are underway. The state news agency APS cites a source stating that at least 20 bodies were found washed up on a beach. It is unknown how many people were on board the boat.

Senegal is a common transit country for migrants attempting to reach the Spanish Canary Islands—and by extension, Europe—by sea. The number of such journeys has risen sharply in a short period; on Saturday alone, more than 700 migrants arrived in the islands. In just over a week, more than 3,300 people have arrived on the island of El Hierro, prompting local authorities there to declare a state of crisis.