Guinea-Bissau coast guard fears 60 migrants drowned off the coast (UPDATE 1)
- Country:
- Guinea-Bissau
Around 60 migrants are missing and believed drowned after their boat was seen sinking off the coast of Guinea-Bissau, a coast guard commander said on Wednesday.
The sea passage from West Africa to Spain's Canary Islands was once a major route for migrants seeking to reach Europe, but attempts have become scarcer since Spain stepped up patrols in the mid-2000s.
Guinean coast guards saw the canoe in difficulty off-shore on Monday, but were not able to deploy a boat in response, Victor Siga told Reuters.
He said wreckage has since been found, but no bodies have been recovered.
Although home to some of the continent's fastest-growing economies, West Africa is struggling to generate enough jobs for its mushrooming young population. As a result, migrants continue to tackle treacherous routes to get to Europe.
A number of migrant boats trying to reach the Canary Islands have been apprehended off the coast off the Gambia this year, Gambian immigration authorities said last week.
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