140 drown after ship sank off Senegal

Europe-bound migrants

The Atlantic route has been used more and more as the authorities clamped down on the other main migration route in West Africa, which goes up by road through the Sahara in Niger and Libya to the Mediterranean coast.

Those traveling by sea have been refused visas for European countries but take the risk of a perilous voyage for the chance to earn enough money to support their families back home.

"We call for unity between governments, partners and the international community to dismantle trafficking and smuggling networks," said Bakary Doumbia, the IOM's chief in Senegal.

At least 414 people have died on the Atlantic route in 2020, according to the IOM's Missing Migrants Project, which recorded 210 fatalities there in all of 2019.

Around 11,000 migrants have arrived on the Canary Islands this year, compared to 2,557 during the same period in 2019, although the total remains far below the peak of 2006 when there were 32,000 arrivals, the IOM said.

Agencies via Xinhua