At Least 140 Migrants Drown Off Senegal Coast, UN Says

At least 140 migrants bound for Europe drowned after a boat carrying about 200 people sank off the coast of Senegal, as confirmed by the UN.

The boat caught fire and capsized on Saturday, shortly after leaving the city of Mbour, said the International Organization for Migration (IOM), BBC said.

According to news, some 60 people were rescued, BBC reported.

Migrants are thought to have been attempting to invade mainland Europe via the Canary Islands of Spain.

This route from West Africa has been rising in popularity since 2018.

Saturday's event was the worst of its kind anywhere in the world this year, the United Nations said.

At least 414 people are known to have died along this path this year, according to the IOM. A total of 210 fatalities were reported for the same time in the whole of 2019.