tragic
Rabat
The boat, carrying around 80 people, sank during the perilous journey, leaving only 11 survivors At least 69 people, including 25 Malians, died when a makeshift boat capsized off the coast of Morocco on December 19, 2024, as it was attempting to reach Spain’s Canary Islands from West Africa, Al-Jazeera reported on Friday.
The boat, carrying around 80 people, sank during the perilous journey, leaving only 11 survivors. According to the Ministry of Malians Abroad, a crisis unit has been established to monitor the situation.
Many of the victims were from the Kayes region in western Mali, where they had initially migrated to Mauritania in search of work in the construction industry.
After interacting with friends in Europe and America, they were encouraged to make the dangerous crossing, with some taking the journey without informing their families.
Mamadou Siby, the mayor of Marena in the Kayes region, identified that eight of the deceased were from his commune, noting that these young men had left seven months ago for work in Mauritania and later decided to migrate to Europe.
