At least 26 people have died after a boat carrying migrants capsized off Senegal’s coast.<\/p>\n
Authorities say more than 100 people were on board the wooden fishing vessel when it sank just 4km (2.5 miles) into its journey.<\/p>\n
Distraught relatives and friends have gathered along the beach, anxiously waiting for news of their loved ones.<\/p>\n
So far, four people have been rescued and search efforts are still under way.<\/p>\n
The boat had departed from Mbour, about 80km south of the capital city Dakar, bound for Spain’s Canary Islands, which are off the coast of West Africa.<\/p>\n
In recent years, the number of migrants leaving West Africa through Senegal has surged.<\/p>\n
Mostly young men – fleeing conflict, poverty, and unemployment – are attempting the dangerous Atlantic route to the Spanish Islands, with nearly 30,000 arrivals recorded this year.<\/p>\n
Spain is one of the European countries that takes in the most migrants, and the Mediterranean Sea route remains the most popular.<\/p>\n
But a growing number of West African migrants are choosing to travel via the Atlantic Ocean to the Canary Islands instead.<\/p>\n
Despite the dangers, it involves just one step, rather than needing to cross both the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n
The surge in migrants attempting the crossing prompted Spain’s prime minister to visit three West African countries last month – Senegal, Mauritania and The Gambia – for crisis talks with leaders.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, a $227m deal was made between the EU and Mauritania to bolster border security. Spain was a key partner in the talks in Mauritania that had led to it.<\/p>\n