Image: (archive)
38 boat occupants were rescued, including children between the ages of 12 and 16, IOM spokeswoman Safa Msehli told AFP on Wednesday.
The boat was sighted by a Spanish fishing boat about 277 kilometers off the island of Sal on Monday. According to the police, this then alerted the Cape Verdean authorities.
The Senegalese Foreign Ministry, citing witnesses, said the boat left the Senegalese village of Fass Boye on July 10 with 101 people on board.
According to the IOM, seven people have already been found dead by the rescue services, and 56 people are missing. “When people are reported missing after a shipwreck, they are presumed dead,” spokeswoman Msehli said.
The Cape Verde archipelago lies around 600 kilometers off the coast of West Africa. It is on the migratory route to the Canary Islands, which belong to Spain.
Source: Nachrichten
