At least 30 dec@ying remains have been discovered aboard a boat off the coast of Senegal, according to military officials.
According to a military statement on X, the navy was alerted to a vessel adrift around 70 kilometers (45 miles) from the capital Dakar.
On Monday morning, they hauled the wooden canoe, known as a pirogue, into port. “Recovery, identification and transfer operations are being made extremely delicate by the advanced state of decomposition of the bodies,” according to a release.
There has recently been an uptick in the number of migrants departing from Senegal for Spain’s Canary Islands, a journey of more than 1,500 kilometers (950 miles) across the Atlantic.
Given how decayed the bodies were, the migrants were undoubtedly adrift on the Atlantic Ocean for many days prior.
The army said investigations are underway to ascertain when and where the boat departed, as well as how many individuals were on board.
In August, a local fisherman discovered at least 14 decomposed bodies suspected to be Senegalese migrants off the coast of the Dominican Republic.
In August, Senegal’s government unveiled a 10-year plan to combat illegal migration in the wake of a spike in migrant-related de@ths.
In recent weeks, officials have intercepted hundreds of migrants aboard boats off the country’s coast.
Despite numerous catastrophes, unemployment, conflict, and poverty compel young men to take the perilous journey from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands.
