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Nearly 70 migrants died while travelling by boat to Spain

Almost 70 migrants died when their boat sank while attempting to reach Spain earlier this month, Mali’s Minister for Malians Living Abroad, Mossa Ag Attaher, reported.

The minister announced during a press release on Thursday that the boat carrying migrants sank on 19 December. The migrants on the vassel “numbered 80 at the start, with only 11 survivors,” according to the ministry. Malian authorities identified nine Malians among the survivors, with other 25 Malians officially identified among the victims.

The Atlantic boat voyage from West Africa to the Canary Islands is one of the world’s deadliest. The islands are seen by most as a milestone on the way to mainland Europe. Many migrants come from Mali, Senegal, Mauritania and other West African countries.

Some Malian victims originated from the Kayes region in the west of the country, according to Doulaye Keita, adviser to the ministry. The mayor of the region’s Marena commune, Mamadou Siby, also said the migrants “were in contact with their friends in Europe and America, who encouraged them to come to these countries.”

In most cases, they took the perilous journey without even informing their families back home.

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