“Documents and objects found next to the bodies indicate that the victims were migrants from the African continent, from the region of Mauritania and Mali,” police sources provided.
Brazilian authorities found the nine bodies in a boat adrift off the state of Pará (northern), Brazil, with documents indicating that the victims were african migrantsthe police reported this Tuesday in a new assessment of the tragedy.
On Saturday, when announcing the discovery of the boat, a spokesperson for the Federal Police told AFP that inside it were 20 bodies and believed to be Haitian refugees.
“In total nine bodies were found, eight inside the boat and a ninth near it in circumstances that suggested that they were part of the same group of victims”The Federal Police indicated in a new communication.
“Documents and objects found next to the bodies indicate that the victims were migrants from the African continent, from the region of Mauritania and Mali“he added, without ruling out other nationalities.
Authorities are still investigating the identity of the passengers and the origin of the boat.
Although they initially indicated that the victims They could have died of hunger and dehydration, Investigations continue into the time and causes of the accident.
Local media reported that fishermen found the small boat off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, between the towns of Braganca and Quatipuru.
The federal prosecutor’s office indicated that it had opened criminal and civil investigations into the case.
Source: Ambito
