‘Back Way’: Atleast 80 people die as boat carrying ‘Gambians and Senegalese’ explodes – Al Jazeera

Atleast 80 people died after the boat conveying them to the Canary Islands exploded near Cape Verde, Al Jazeera reported on Tuesday.

The Cape Verdean coasguard heard about the boat exploding from fishermen who were nearby early Tuesday morning, according to Al Jazeera.

Around 150 people are believed to have been occupying the boat, mainly from Senegal and The Gambia, Al Jazeera said.

It comes days after a ‘back way’ boat that reportedly left The Gambia carrying 100 people arrived in Spain.

The spokesman of the Gambia Immigration Department told The Standard his department is not aware of ‘these trips’.