Approximately 60 African migrants are believed dead after a boat sank as it headed toward Europe.
The disaster is part of a number of incidents involving migrant ships in the area as more Africans seek to flee for the northern neighbor.
60 More African Migrants Believed Dead After Shipwreck https://t.co/ATSrxDAsIo
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 17, 2023
"Coastguard officials from the Atlantic island of Cape Verde have rescued 38 people on a vessel that had left the town of Fass Boye in western Senegal a month earlier with more than 100 people on board, officials said, part of a recent migrant surge from Africa into Europe," Breitbart News reported.
"The ship was rescued some 385 miles off the west African coast, according to the Senegalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that more than 60 people are believed to have drowned," it added.
More than 60 migrants feared dead at sea off Cape Verde coast https://t.co/UKpEN4TGHt
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) August 17, 2023
"The vessel was first spotted on Monday, police told the AFP news agency. Initial reports suggested that the boat had sunk but it was later clarified that it had been found drifting," the BBC reported.
"The wooden pirogue style boat was seen almost 320km (200 miles) off Sal, a part of Cape Verde, by a Spanish fishing boat, which then alerted authorities, police said," according to the report.
Nearly all of the people involved were from the Senegal village of Fass Boye, a fishing village.
Other passengers were reportedly from Sierra Leone, with at least one person from Guinea-Bissau.
The survivors included four children, with the identities of those lost at sea not yet fully known.
The tragic loss underscores the risks involved for those seeking to flee difficult lands on migrant ships, bringing new attention to the situation facing many in northern Africa.
