Eight people have died after their boat capsized in the city of "Saint Louis," northern Senegal, along a route used by migrants trying to reach the Spanish "Canary Islands." Senegalese Interior Minister Antoine Felix did not comment on the number of people who were on the boat or the number of missing persons, but stated, "There are eight bodies and four injured."
Local media reported that "the boat was carrying migrants and the death toll could be much higher, especially since long wooden fishing boats are often overcrowded." Reports from the Spanish organization "Caminando Fronteras" revealed that three other boats that set sail from Senegal are missing, indicating that these boats were carrying over 300 migrants.
The organization added, "The boats departed on June 27 from the small coastal town of Kayar in southern Senegal, approximately 1,700 kilometers from the Canary Islands." Senegalese authorities announced that "at least 260 Senegalese were rescued in Moroccan territorial waters between June 28 and July 9."
