Thieppe shipwreck: 43 bodies recovered as families testify
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Senego
Forty-three bodies have been recovered since 6 November on beaches in the Thieppe region, compared with a death toll of 39 announced on 9 November. Families of victims, including a 75-year-old tailor and a disabled father who lost two sons, testify, while a survivor says he paid 400,000 CFA francs to smugglers, according to AFP.
In Potou, Djiby Sogue lost his sons Bass, 18, and Moussa, 20, in the shipwreck. Their father, who is disabled, had counted on them to contribute to the family’s needs and says he fears that his other two sons, aged 20 and 23, may in turn attempt irregular migration. He believes opportunities for legal migration could dissuade them, AFP reports.
A survivor named Baye said he paid 400,000 CFA francs to board. The passengers waited two days offshore before the smugglers brought the engine and fuel, then the pirogue turned back towards the beach after being spotted by the Senegalese navy. Several passengers jumped into the water thinking they had arrived and drowned, according to his testimony reported by AFP.
The Senegalese interior minister visited the families to offer his condolences. He said he wanted to pursue the smugglers and defended the development of legal temporary migration arrangements, according to Senego.
