Senegalese fishermen on Sunday evening made a distressing discovery of over 30 decomposing bodies on a boat off the coast of Senegal, military authorities say.
The navy was informed of a vessel that was adrift about 70km (45 miles) from the capital Dakar, according to a military statement on X. They brought the wooden canoe, or pirogue, into port on Monday morning.
“Recovery, identification, and transfer operations are being made extremely delicate by the advanced state of decomposition of the bodies,” the statement said.
Given how decomposed the bodies were, the migrants were probably adrift on the Atlantic Ocean for many days before fishermen found them.
Investigations are underway to determine when and where the boat departed, and how many people were on board, the army said.
Ebrima Migrant Situation shed light on the tragic incident, revealing that the migrant boat, which had been missing for over a month since its departure from Mbour in mid-August, was finally located by Senegalese fishermen. The vessel is believed to have carried more than 150 individuals, including 69 Gambian migrants.
Senegal’s government announced a 10-year plan in August to tackle illegal migration amid a surge in migrant-related deaths.
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