At Least 140 Migrants Drown Off Senegal’s Coast

The International Organization for Migration says at least 140 people were killed when a boat carrying over 200 migrants sank.

The international body announced on Thursday that the boat in question caught fire and capsized on Saturday, just hours after leaving the coastal city of Mbour in Senegal, about 100 kilometers south of the capital Dakar.

According to the report, the naval forces of Senegal and Spain, along with fishermen, managed to rescue 60 people, while at least 140 drowned.

These migrants from West Africa were traveling in hopes of reaching the Canary Islands, one of the most important migration routes to Europe.

Reuters reports that migration from this route to Europe has increased more than fourfold this year, reaching 11,000 people.

Last month, 14 boats transported 663 African migrants from Senegal toward the Canary Islands, with one-quarter of them encountering accidents.

Source: Radio Farda