Rescuers are continuing the search for dozens of migrants whose fishing boat capsized off of Senegal's Atlantic coast. The men were headed for Spain's Canary Islands. Jordan Davis reports from Dakar that hope of finding additional survivors is dwindling.
Aircraft and patrol boats are continuing their search in the waters off Senegal's northern coast.
The migrants left southern Senegal for the Canary Islands two weeks ago. Survivors say their boat ran into rough seas and tried to turn back but it capsized.
Lieutenant-Colonel Mouhamadou Moustapha Sylla is the Senegalese official who is coordinating with Frontex, the European agency patrolling the Atlantic looking for migrants.
Sylla says 24 people were rescued by local fishermen Saturday and taken to hospitals in the city of Saint-Louis in northern Senegal.
The survivors are being treated for malnourishment and dehydration.
Officials with Frontex say the number of migrants trying to reach the Canaries has decreased since joint EU-Senegalese patrols began this fall. But last week, nearly 30 people were rescued from a fishing boat near the capital Dakar.
This year record numbers of migrants have reached the islands - at least 25,000. Some have been repatriated to Africa, but thousands still remain on the island awaiting deportation.
Each year, hundreds are believed to die making their way to the Canaries.
