Grim Discovery: Decomposing Bodies Found Off Coast of Senegal

At least 30 decomposing bodies were discovered in a drifting boat 70 km off Senegal's capital Dakar. The Senegalese navy was alerted and deployed a patrol boat. The Atlantic migration route is one of the deadliest, with nearly 5,000 migrants reported dead in the first half of 2024.

At least 30 decomposing bodies were discovered in a boat drifting approximately 70 km (38 nautical miles) off the coast of Senegal's capital, Dakar, on Monday, military sources confirmed.

The Senegalese navy was alerted to the boat's presence on Sunday evening, prompting the immediate deployment of a patrol boat to the area. 'So far thirty bodies have been counted,' the military said in a statement, adding that ongoing investigations would shed more light on the death toll and the boat's origins.

The advanced decomposition of the corpses is complicating identification efforts, officials stated. The Atlantic migration route, from West Africa to the Canary Islands, is notorious as one of the world's deadliest paths used by African migrants aiming to reach Spain. Nearly 5,000 migrants lost their lives at sea in the first five months of 2024, according to migration rights group Walking Borders.

(With inputs from agencies.)