Twenty-two migrants go on a boat to the French island of Mayottein the Indian Ocean, died on Saturday in a shipwreck off the coast of Madagascarthe maritime authorities of the African country announced on Monday.
“Forty-seven people had the boat illegally with the intention of reaching Mayottethe Authority, Port, Maritime and River (APFM) of Madagascar, specified in a statement. “The ship was wrecked. Twenty-three passengers were rescued. Twenty-two lifeless bodies were recovered,” the statement said.
The shipwreck occurred near the Ambanja district, in the far north of Madagascar. The nearest coast to the big island is just over 350 km from the French department of Mayotte.
Migrant boat capsized in Mediterranean, 30 missing
The navy, gendarmerie, customs and simple fishermen also participated in the rescue operations, according to the APMF.
Wrecks of small motorized fishing boats used by smugglers, are common on the shipping route from Madagascar to Mayottewhich is part of the Comoros archipelago.
A lot of migrants Africans try to reach the archipelago every yearhalf of the population is foreign.
The Comorian island of Anjouan is only 70 km from Mayotte, French territory. Since 2019, France significantly increased resources to combat clandestine immigration, in particular with the continued presence at sea of interceptors and aerial surveillance.
Last December, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said in Mayotte that he would step up the fight.
According to French authorities, 6,355 migrants and 324 smugglers were detained in 2021 and 459 boats destroyed.
Source: Eluniverso
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