Over 60 Feared Dead After Migrant Boat Capsizes Off Cape Verde

In a tragic incident, over 60 people are feared dead and 38 others have been rescued after a boat capsized off Cape Verde.

“More than 60 people are believed to have died when a migrant boat that left Senegal in July capsized off Cape Verde,” the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday.

The fishing boat left Senegal a month ago, according to media reports in Cape Verde, an island nation about 620km (385 miles) off the West African coast.

On Tuesday, Senegal’s foreign ministry said that 38 people, including a citizen of Guinea-Bissau, were rescued from the boat.

The coast guard said the total number of survivors and dead was 48. The local morgue said it had received seven dead bodies. The vessel was spotted on Monday almost 320km (200 miles) from the island of Sal by a Spanish fishing boat, which alerted Cape Verde authorities.

"We must open our arms and welcome the living and bury the dead with dignity,” Cape Verdean Health Minister Filomena Goncalves was quoted as saying.

The vessel was a large fishing boat, called a pirogue, which had left Senegal on July 10 with more than 100 refugees and migrants on board.

Cape Verde lies on the maritime migration route to the Spanish Canary Islands – a gateway to the European Union.

Thousands of refugees and migrants fleeing poverty and war risk their lives to make the dangerous journey each year. They often travel in modest boats or motorised canoes supplied by smugglers, who charge a fee for the journey.

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