At least 140 migrants and refugees have lost their lives after the boat they were traveling on sank off the coast of Senegal, in the deadliest shipwreck recorded so far in 2020, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The boat in question departed from Senegal on October 24, from the town of Mbour, bound for the Canary Islands. According to local leaders quoted by the IOM, the boat caught fire just hours after setting sail and sank near Saint-Louis, on the northwest coast of the African country.
The sunken boat was carrying about 200 people, but only 59 of them were rescued alive after the intervention of official boats from Senegal and Spain and fishing boats operating in the area. At least 20 bodies have been located.
The head of the IOM in Senegal, Bakary Doumbia, has expressed his dismay at these events and has called for the "unity" of the international community to put an end to human trafficking, "which takes advantage of desperate young people" seeking a better future in southern European countries.
"It is also important to advocate for legal channels that harm the business model of traffickers and prevent people from continuing to die," Doumbia added in a statement.
More than 400 deaths this year
The organization has warned of a "significant" increase in boats departing from the western part of Africa bound for the Canary archipelago. In September alone, 14 boats departed with a total of 663 migrants, and in one in four cases some type of incident was reported.
The IOM estimates that about 11,000 people have arrived in the Canary Islands this year, far from the 2,557 recorded in the same period of 2019 but still below the 2006 cayuco crisis, when the figure skyrocketed to 32,000. The agency estimates that in 2020 alone, 414 migrants and refugees have lost their lives on this route.
