Several bodies were found Sunday in a pirogue off the coast of Dakar by fishermen. Operations to remove the bodies continued Monday morning in particularly difficult conditions: the remains are in such a state of decomposition that some are stuck together or to the boat.
New macabre discovery off the coast of Senegal. On Sunday, September 22, fishermen found a boat adrift 70 km from Dakar. Inside were several bodies in an advanced state of decomposition.
On Monday morning, operations continued to try to remove the remains from the canoe. The smell emanating from the decomposing corpses made the maneuvers particularly difficult. According to our information, the French Navy had to call on firefighters and forensic experts to tow the boat and deal with the bodies.
For the moment, it is impossible to know the number of victims: many bodies are stuck together or to the pirogue itself. In a press release, the Senegalese Navy states that “for the moment, 30 bodies have been counted”, but that a more “precise” report will be transmitted later.
“The recovery, identification, and transfer operations are made very delicate by the advanced state of decomposition of the bodies,” the statement added.
According to Senegalese journalist Ayoba Faye, the pirogue did not capsize. It “was certainly lost at sea for several days with its occupants, who ended up dying inside, before running aground,” he said on the social network X.
The Navy found bodies on site that were in an advanced state of decomposition. This was not a capsizing. The pirogue was certainly lost at sea for several days with its occupants, who ended up dying inside, before running aground at Les Mamelles💔 https://t.co/PTcG9YIBff
— Ayoba FAYE (@autrecomoi) September 22, 2024
In Senegal, the tragedies continue. This terrible discovery comes just two weeks after the sinking of a boat off the coast of Mbour, south of Dakar. On Sunday, September 8, a pirogue capsized, causing the death of at least 39 migrants. About twenty people were rescued by fishermen, but dozens more are still missing. The pirogue was carrying about a hundred passengers.
“The nation is in mourning”
The accident sparked strong reactions in the country. Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye visited Mbour a few days later to pay tribute to the victims. From the coast facing the Atlantic, the president deplored a “human tragedy that upsets us all.” “The nation is in mourning,” he added, describing the situation as “particularly unbearable.”
The pirogue that sank just hours after leaving Mbour on September 8, 2024. Credit: Senegalese Navy
The inhabitants of Mbour, still in shock, organized a silent march on Saturday, September 21 in memory of those who died. They created a collective “Dafa day” (“That’s enough” in Wolof) to say “stop” to migrant trafficking and encourage the political class to take measures in favor of young people.
In a country hit by mass unemployment and an economic crisis, more and more young Senegalese are trying to cross the Atlantic to reach the Spanish archipelago of the Canaries.
“In Mbour, many families are affected by irregular immigration. In some of them, three or four people from the same household have left for Europe. (…) Here, everyone is afraid that a loved one will go to sea,” a resident of this coastal town told InfoMigrants shortly after the shipwreck.
A risky Atlantic crossing
To reach the Spanish coast, the Senegalese clandestinely board pirogues or precarious boats, which are completely unsuitable for such crossings, for money. It takes at least five days of navigation to cover the 1,700 kilometers to the Canaries in conditions described as terrible by the survivors, at the mercy of hunger and thirst, the sun, the elements, and damage.
Strong currents and winds can also cause boats to drift. In early August, a pirogue with 14 bodies “in an advanced state of decomposition” was discovered off the coast of the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Sea. According to initial evidence found on board, including Mauritanian and Senegalese identity documents, the pirogue had headed for the Canaries before drifting across the Atlantic.
According to the NGO Caminando Fronteras, more than 5,000 people died in the Atlantic trying to reach the Spanish islands in the first five months of the year, or 33 deaths per day.
