15 bodies recovered after migrant boat capsizes off Senegal’s capital

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - At least 15 bodies were recovered after a boat carrying migrants capsized off Dakar, Senegal’s capital, authorities said Monday.

A boat carrying a number of people en route to the Canary Islands suffered an accident around 2 a.m. local time off Dakar’s Ouakam district, according to local leaders and the country’s National Fire Brigade.

“This morning around 3.30 a.m., we were alerted to a capsizing canoe off Ouakam. Immediately, two teams of divers and four ambulances were dispatched to the scene for rescue efforts,” Martial Ndione, the Dakar regional commander of the fire and rescue group, told reporters.

“At the scene, three bodies were found and two survivors, who were arrested by the gendarmes. We continued the search operations, discovering 12 other bodies.”

Senegal’s President Macky Sall expressed his condolences to the families of the victims following the tragedy.

“I express my deep sorrow following the deaths of fifteen Senegalese in the sinking of a canoe off the coast of Dakar,” he said on Twitter.

The Canary Islands serve as one of the main destinations for people trying to reach Europe.