Abhitesh
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported Wednesday that more than sixty persons are believed to have perished after a Senegalese migrant boat was discovered off the coast of the Cape Verde islands.
According to IOM spokeswoman Safa Msehli, among the 38 survivors were four minors between the ages of 12 and 16 years old.
The long wooden fishing vessel known as a pirogue was observed in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday, approximately 150 nautical miles (277 kilometres) from the island of Sal in Cape Verde, according to police.
The Spanish vessel that spotted it notified Cape Verdean authorities.
The archipelago of Cape Verde is located approximately 600 kilometres (350 miles) off the coast on the maritime migration route to the Spanish Canary Islands, which serve as a gateway to the European Union.
Msehli told AFP that emergency services recovered the remains of seven individuals, while 56 others are believed to be missing.
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“Generally, when people are reported missing following a shipwreck, they are presumed dead,” she explained.
The boat left the Senegalese fishing village of Fasse Boye on July 10 with 101 people on board, Senegal’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday, citing survivors.
