Tgcom24
“The documents and objects found near the bodies indicate that the victims were migrants from the African continent, from the region of Mauritania and Mali”, the Brazilian federal police said, adding that among the deceased there could also be people of other nationalities .
The nine bodies in an advanced state of decomposition (eight on board, one near the boat) were found on Saturday 13 April by fishermen on board a boat adrift in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Brazil, precisely off the coast of the State northern coast of Para. The fishermen had made a report to the Brazilian coast guard. Initially there was talk of the discovery of twenty bodies and the first hypotheses referred to migrants from Haiti.
Instead, the canoe-shaped fiberglass vessel, about 12 meters long and white and blue in colour, found in Brazil, has the same characteristics as Mauritanian fishing pirogues, often used by West African migrants and fleeing refugees towards the Spanish Canary Islands, suggesting that Brazil was probably not their destination. Thus the sighting off the coast of the Brazilian Amazon can be explained by the fact that migrants from Africa ended up adrift after failing to land in the Canary Islands.
Furthermore, the boat, which is therefore little larger than a lifeboat, has no damage to the hull, but is not equipped with any propulsion mechanism (engine, sail or oars).
The Atlantic route from West Africa to the territory of the European Union is one of the most dangerous in the world. Vessels that do not reach their destination can be swept away by Atlantic trade winds and east-west currents, drifting for months. Migrants on board often die from dehydration and malnutrition. Others have also been known to throw themselves into the ocean out of desperation.
More than 13,000 migrants have reached the Canary Islands in 2024, but hundreds of others have been reported missing, according to the Spanish Interior Ministry. In Mauritania, families have even set up a “national commission” to search for missing migrants. According to data from the UN Refugee Agency, over 1,400 migrants lost their lives in 2023 trying to reach the Canary Islands from Africa.
An investigation by the news agency Associated Press published last year revealed that in 2021 at least 7 boats from north-west Africa were found in the Caribbean and Brazil, all with bodies on board. A 500% surge in migration from Africa’s northwest coast to Spain in 2024 has European authorities on alert. Despite a €210 million deal signed in February between the European Union and Mauritania, most departures have been from the West African country.
Some families contacted by the news agency AP reported that they are anxiously following the news of the discovery of the vessel in Brazil. Brazilian federal police say they are still working to identify the bodies and cause of death following Interpol disaster victim identification protocols. A complex task, given the advanced state of decomposition in which the bodies were found.
Tags: Migrants adrift Atlantic months bodies Brazil
