DAKAR, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Senegal's navy announced on Monday that it had discovered 30 bodies in a drifting boat that was towed ashore on Sunday off the coast of Dakar, the country's capital.
"So far, 30 bodies have been counted. Ongoing investigations by the relevant authorities will provide more precise information regarding the final toll and the exact origin of the canoe, which will be communicated later," the navy said in a statement.
"The recovery, identification, and transfer operations are highly challenging due to the advanced state of decomposition of the bodies," added the statement, explaining that a navy's patrol boat was dispatched to tow the boat to the Dakar port following an alert received on Sunday evening.
It is believed that the bodies found in the boat were likely migrants attempting to leave the country illegally, a practice that has significantly increased in Senegal and claims the lives of hundreds each year.
Earlier this month, another boat carrying migrants capsized off the coastal town of Mbour in western Senegal, resulting in around 30 deaths and several others missing. ■