Survivors of Cape Verde shipwreck came back to Senegal

The authorities in Senegal, a country in West Africa, have repatriated 37 people rescued from Cape Verde, an island country in the central Atlantic Ocean, after their boat was left adrift in the ocean.

The survivors, all men, were transported by a Senegalese military plane and landed on an air base in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, on Monday evening. 

They started their journey on 10 July in Fass Boye, a fishing town in Senegal. They wanted to reach Europe by the Atlantic Ocean along the African coast. However, their boat ran out of fuel and was adrift in the ocean. Their boat was seen on August 14 off Cape Verde, with 38 survivors. According to reports, a Spanish fishing vessel found them. Reportedly, the survivors were trapped there for over a month. 

The rescuers also recovered some dead bodies. The Minister Delegate for Senegalese Abroad, Annette Seck Ndiaye, said that the bodies would be buried in Cape Verde. 

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Annette Seck Ndiaye revealed that 37 people were rescued out of the 101. When survivors came back to Senegal, their families greeted them. 

Annette Seck Ndiaye also revealed that one survivor was not fit to travel and remained in Cape Verde. Reportedly, he was getting treatment for his wounds. He was hospitalized in the Cape Verdean capital of Praia. 

Annette Seck also thanked Cape Verde authorities for helping migrants. She also offered her deep condolences to bereaved Senegalese families.

According to knowledgeable sources, some of the survivors were getting carried into ambulances in Dakar. 

According to Spanish rights group Walking Borders, between January and June of this year, some 800 migrants have died or gone missing in the Atlantic Ocean trying to reach the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa.

Fishermen in Fass Boye said that people conduct the deadly migration journey because of lack of job opportunities in Senegal.