Boat tragedy overwhelms Senegal's Saint-Louis city

Rescue workers in northern Senegal are overwhelmed as they try to find survivors and retrieve bodies after a boat carrying migrants sank.

The governor of the coastal city of Saint-Louis estimates that dozens may have died, most thought to be women.

The overloaded vessel left the southern town of Joal two weeks ago with nearly 300 on board, the authorities say.

It is likely the boat was heading to the Canary Islands, a Spanish territory.

This one of the most dangerous routes for migrants as they usually sail in dugout fishing boats that are easily tossed by powerful currents.

Saint-Louis Governor Alioune Badara Samb told local media that firefighters involved in the rescue missions were struggling to cope.

Administrative buildings are being used to house and treat the survivors, many of whom are Guinean and Senegalese nationals.

It is not clear how many people have died as the number of casualties keeps rising. President Macky Sall expressed his condolences on X, formerly Twitter.

The number of migrants leaving from Senegal’s shores on wooden boats has surged over the past year despite the dangers and many boat tragedies.