Six Senegalese have died after a boat capsized in a storm during an excursion to a tiny island off the coast of Senegal’s capital, a private radio station said Tuesday.
Thirty-five people were rescued after the storm on Monday evening, including 24 Senegalese, six French, two Germans, two Swedes and one Guinea-Bissau national, according to Dakar’s fire brigade chief, Col. Michel Diatta.
Most were stranded on Madeleine Island and have been taken to a hospital, he said.
Interior Minister Aly Ngouille Ndiaye told private radio station RFM early Tuesday that four people had died. He said they were Senegalese, among them national parks staffers.
RFM later reported that two more Senegalese had succumbed to their wounds and died, citing medical officials.
It was not immediately clear if everyone was accounted for.
President Macky Sall sent condolences to the families of the victims and called for attention to security during this period of bad weather. It is the rainy season in Senegal.
The uninhabited island is popular with tourists who go on daily trips to see a diverse bird population and have picnics.
2 Dead, 14 Missing After Migrant Boat Capsizes
In related news, at least two people died and 14 were missing Tuesday after a boat filled with people hoping to reach Europe capsized near Tunisia.
The number of people seeking international protection in 30 European countries rose by a monthly 26% in July, according to figures Tuesday from the European Union’s asylum office.
The European total for the year so far is about 400,500, higher than the same period last year but still much lower than the levels recorded in 2015-2016, when well over 1 million migrants entered Europe, most of them fleeing conflict in Syria and Iraq.
