Senegal’s military said on Monday that at least 30 bodies have been found on a boat along a migrant route, off the coast of Dakar. The navy learned of the vessel’s presence on Sunday evening, before sending out a boat patrol to the area.
According to the military, investigations will uncover more information about the boat’s origin, and the overall death toll.
It comes after a boat with 89 people on board capsized off the coast of the country earlier in September, killing dozens. Many of those fleeing Senegal are seeking to escape poverty and a lack of jobs, and try to make it to the Canary Islands, where more than 22,300 people have landed since the start of the year.
The route from West Africa to the Canary Islands is one of the deadliest in the world. In August, Senegal’s military announced it had arrested hundreds of migrants and ‘members of smuggling networks’.