By Elishya Perera
London , UK (CWBN)_ The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement yesterday (Oct 29), that at least 140 migrants drowned off the cost of Senegal “in the deadliest shipwreck recorded this year”.
According to the IOM, the vessel, carrying about 200 people, caught fire a few hours after departing Mbour, and subsequently capsized near Saint-Louis. It is reported that Senegalese and Spanish navies and fishermen have rescued some 60 people and retrieved the remains of 20 others.
“The IOM is deeply saddened by this recent tragedy, which follows four shipwrecks recorded in the Central Mediterranean last week and another in the English Channel,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, following the incident, IOM Senegal Chief of Mission, Bakary Doumbia, called for unity between governments to dismantle trafficking and smuggling networks that “take advantage of desperate youth”.
According to the IOM, migrant boat departures from West Africa to the Canary Islands has more than quadrupled this year to 11,000 with 14 boats carrying 663 migrants in September alone. More than 25% of these departures were reported to have experienced a shipwreck or similar incidents.
The government of Senegal and the IOM has made arrangements to assess the needs of survivors and provide immediate psycho-social assistance in Saint-Louis.
Edited By Chathushka Perera
