Over 60 killed as migrant boat capsizes off Cape Verde

West-Africa: More than 60 people are feared dead after a boat carrying mostly Senegalese migrants capsized off the coast of Cape Verde in West Africa.

The news agency The Associated Press reported that the boat departed on July 10 from Senegal with more than 100 migrants. The matter came to light when 38 survivors were rescued near the Atlantic island nation of Cabo Verde an island nation about 620 kilometres off the coast of West Africa.

At least 63 asylum seekers are thought to have died, while the 38 survivors include four children between the ages of 12 and 16, an IOM spokesperson told AFP.

Reports say, the long wooden fishing vessel was spotted on Monday (local time) in the Atlantic Ocean off west Africa, about 150 nautical miles (277 kilometres) from the Cape Verdean island of Sal.  The vessel was located by a Spanish fishing boat, which alerted Cape Verdean authorities.

Emergency services have recovered the remains of seven people, the IOM spokesperson told AFP, while another 56 people are believed to be missing.

(Inputs from agencies)