Senegal: at least 17 people found dead after boat capsized

At least 17 people were found dead after a boat capsized in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, according to local officials on Monday.

The number of people in the pirogue is not yet known, but two people were rescued alive.

The bodies were discovered by the navy early in the morning and are believed to be migrants because of the type of boat they were in, explained Ouakam neighborhood Mayor, Ndeye Top Gueye.

While this is the first-time bodies have washed up in the neighbourhood, migrant deaths at sea are becoming more common in Senegal.

It was unclear where the people were coming from, what nationalities they were, or even where they were going.

But the Atlantic migration route is one of the deadliest in the world, with nearly 800 people dying or going missing in the first half of 2023 according to Spanish aid group Walking Borders.

Search operations have also taken place recently in Spain, to find migrant boats from Senegal that have gone missing, carrying more than 300 people, according to the NGO Caminando Fronteras.