Over 60 African migrants dead at sea after boat sinks off Cape Verde coast

More than 60 African migrants have been confirmed dead after a boat carrying them sank off the coast of Cape Verde on Wednesday night.

Emergency service officials in the West African country said on Thursday that almost all migrants on board the boat which was heading for an Italy enroute Europe were thought to be from Senegal and had been lost at sea for over a month.

The officials added that 38 people, including women and children, were rescued from the boat which sank on the island of Sal.

According to a spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the vessel was first spotted on Monday and a report was made to the police.

Read also: 15 bodies of suspected illegal migrants found on Libyan beach

“The wooden pirogue style boat was seen on Monday almost 320km (200 miles) off Sal, a part of Cape Verde, by a Spanish fishing boat, which then alerted authorities,” the IOM said.

“The survivors said the boat left the Senegalese fishing village of Fasse Boye on 10 July with 101 people on board.

“Nearly all those on the boat had grown up in the community and some local families were still waiting to hear whether their relatives were among the survivors,” it added.

The Senegalese Foreign Affairs ministry which has been alerted to the incident, said it was liaising with authorities in Cape Verde to arrange the repatriation of nationals.

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