Over 70 Illegal African Migrants Drown Off Moroccan Coast.
https://nigeriaafrica1.blogspot.com/2012/11/over-70-illegal-african-migrants-drown.html
Seventy-two clandestine migrants including 31 Senegalese have been reported dead after drowning in the Mediterranean Sea along the coast of Morocco en route to Europe, sources said in Dakar Tuesday.
The illegal migrants allegedly took off in two large makeshift boats on the night of October 26 and were hit by huge storms moments after leaving the port of Nador, north east of Morocco.
Moroccan coast guards moved swiftly to save the migrants but only about ten were pulled out of the water, including a pregnant Senegalese girl.
The bodies of those drowned have since been transported and to a morgue in the Moroccan city of Tangers and are awaiting instructions for burial.
Senegal’s leading daily “L’Observateur” on Tuesday quoted another survivor as saying the other passengers included Moroccans, Egyptians, Somalis, Algerians, Nigerians and Ghanaians.
The survivors said they were sailing off to Spain when they were caught mid sea by a violent storm that split the boats into pieces.
Some of the Senegalese families of the survivors have said they will do everything they can to repatriate the bodies of their deceased sons and daughters back home for burial.
Last Saturday, the Italian coast guards announced that they rescued about 64 illegal migrants from African as their boat capsized after it was hit by a storm.
Observers say a renewed wave of mass migration of Africans to Europe is in spite of strict surveillance measures undertaken by the European Union countries and their African counterparts especially Morocco.
Between January and September 2012, the Italian government said an estimated 8,000 illegal migrants from Africa penetrated European Union borders.
The year 2006 marked the worst year when over 5,000 African youths died as they attempted to migrate to Europe.
Moroccan coast guards moved swiftly to save the migrants but only about ten were pulled out of the water, including a pregnant Senegalese girl.
The bodies of those drowned have since been transported and to a morgue in the Moroccan city of Tangers and are awaiting instructions for burial.
Senegal’s leading daily “L’Observateur” on Tuesday quoted another survivor as saying the other passengers included Moroccans, Egyptians, Somalis, Algerians, Nigerians and Ghanaians.
The survivors said they were sailing off to Spain when they were caught mid sea by a violent storm that split the boats into pieces.
Some of the Senegalese families of the survivors have said they will do everything they can to repatriate the bodies of their deceased sons and daughters back home for burial.
Last Saturday, the Italian coast guards announced that they rescued about 64 illegal migrants from African as their boat capsized after it was hit by a storm.
Observers say a renewed wave of mass migration of Africans to Europe is in spite of strict surveillance measures undertaken by the European Union countries and their African counterparts especially Morocco.
Between January and September 2012, the Italian government said an estimated 8,000 illegal migrants from Africa penetrated European Union borders.
The year 2006 marked the worst year when over 5,000 African youths died as they attempted to migrate to Europe.
