14 migrants die as Canary Island-bound boat capsizes amid fire outbreak
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A boat carrying between 140 and 150 migrants trying to sail to Europe off the coast of Senegal capsized following a fire outbreak inside.
The migrants were hoping to reach the Spanish Canary Islands through the Atlantic route.
According to Senegalese Red Cross, the incident occurred on Monday, June 27, 2022 off the Senegalese coastal town of Cavontine.
David Diatta, the mayor of Cavontine region of Casamance said though the death toll is likely to rise but they have recovered 14 dead bodies, adding that the passengers include Guineans, Nigerians, Gambians and Senegalese.
Diatta said survivors informed him that a person smoking a cigarette near a gas tank in the migrant boat caused the fire.
He stated that 90 identified passengers survived and dozens are still missing.
Health workers in the Casamance region said 21 people were injured, including four with second-degree burns.
The distance from Cavontine in southern Senegal to the Canary Islands is more than 1600 kilometers.
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