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According to the United Nations Organization for Migration (IOM), at least 140 migrants drowned off the Senegalese coast. A ship with about 200 people on board left the Senegalese coastal town of Mbour for the Canary Islands on Saturday, IOM announced Thursday. A few hours later, the ship caught fire and capsized. According to media reports, 59 people were saved.
This is the deadliest maritime disaster on record this year, IOM said. The organization is deeply saddened by this tragedy.
Time and again people seeking protection and other immigrants from Africa try to reach the Canary Islands. The archipelago about a hundred kilometers off the coast of West Africa belongs to Spain. However, the Atlantic is very dangerous for small boats, most of which only run on outboard motors.
A total of around 11,000 migrants from West Africa arrived in the Canary Islands this year, four times more than in the same period in 2019. When trying to reach the archipelago, at least 414 people have died this year.
