DHAKA (Askume) – Senegal’s navy on Tuesday recovered 17 bodies from a boat carrying migrants that capsized off the coast, bringing the death toll to 26.
The Atlantic migration route from the coast of West Africa to the Canary Islands, often used by African migrants to reach Spain, is one of the deadliest in the world.
Years of Islamist conflict in the Sahel, unemployment and the impact of climate change on farming communities are among the factors people are trying to overcome.
The overturned vessel, a narrow wooden fishing boat known as a canoe, was carrying more than 100 migrants from the Senegalese city of Mbour. The car capsized after traveling just 4 kilometers (2.5 miles), Senegal’s national radio reported on Sunday.
The Senegalese navy sent three ships and a Spanish aircraft to participate in search and rescue efforts. The company posted the latest death toll on its X account on Tuesday.
On Monday, the navy said it had found nine bodies and an unknown number of people were rescued by local fishermen, the same day it intercepted two other boats carrying 421 people trying to flee.
The number of migrants from Africa to the Canary Islands has increased by 154% this year , according to the EU border agency, with 21,620 crossings to the archipelago in the first seven months of 2024.
Spanish authorities say up to 150,000 African migrants could cross the border this year.
