More than 60 migrants are still missing after their ship capsized off the Cape Verde coast. International news agencies report this on Thursday. Probably mainly Senegalese migrants were on board the boat, which probably capsized on Tuesday. On Tuesday evening, a total of 38 people were rescued, whether any drowning persons have since been removed from the water is unclear. The International Organization for Migration fears that the people have died.
According to rescued people, the boat had been at sea for more than a month and was on its way to the Canary Islands, further out in the Atlantic Ocean. The distance between the Senegalese coast and Cape Verde is about 650 kilometers. The migrants sailed on a so-called pirogue, a canoe-shaped boat that is usually used for fishing. In principle, they are not suitable for long sea trips — certainly fully loaded with people.
The Canary Islands are Spanish territory, and therefore a relatively close European border for many migrants from West Africa. The sea route between the west coast of Africa and the islands is very attractive—but also very deadly. At least 126 people have died on the crossing this year. The more than sixty boat migrants who have been missing since Tuesday are not yet counted. At least 559 people died during the crossing last year.
“Safe and regular migration routes are painfully absent, leaving room for smugglers and traffickers to send these people on deadly journeys,” a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration told Reuters news agency.