Captain of migrant boat tragedy in Senegal turns himself in as death toll rises to 26

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The captain of a migrant boat that capsized off Senegal over the weekend was arrested, local authorities said Tuesday, as the death toll rose to 26.

Cheikh Sall, the owner and captain of the boat, turned himself in Monday, Amadou Diop, the district’s prefect, told The Associated Press.

The death toll of the capsizing rose to 26, Senegal's navy said on the social media platform X on Tuesday.

The artisanal fishing boat left the town of Mbour, nearly 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of the capital Dakar heading to Europe on Sunday afternoon before capsizing a few miles (kilometers) off the coast.

In recent years, the number of migrants leaving West Africa through Senegal has surged with many fleeing conflict, poverty and the lack of job opportunities. Most head to the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of West Africa, which is used as a stepping stone to continental Europe.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 22,300 people have landed on the Canary Islands, 126% more than the same period last year, according to statistics released by Spain’s Interior Ministry.

Last month, the Senegalese army said it had arrested 453 migrants and “members of smuggling networks” as part of a 12-day operation patrolling the coastline. More than half of those arrested were Senegalese nationals, the army said.

In July, a boat carrying 300 migrants, mostly from Gambia and Senegal, capsized off Mauritania. More than a dozen died and at least 150 others went missing.

The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands is one of the deadliest in the world. While there is no accurate death toll because of the lack of information on departures from West Africa, the Spanish migrant rights group Walking Borders estimates the victims are in the thousands this year alone.

Migrant vessels that get lost or run into problems often vanish in the Atlantic, with some drifting across the ocean for months until they are found in the Caribbean and Latin America carrying only human remains.

Follow AP’s global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration

FILE - Children play on fishing boats known as "pirogues" in Dakar, Senegal, June 24, 2023. Large pirogues are used in migrant crossings from Senegal to Spain. (AP Photo/Zane Irwin, File)

MILAN (AP) — For the first time in 22 years, there is a Maldini in the Italy squad.

Daniele Maldini was called up by Italy coach Luciano Spalletti on Friday for Nations League matches and could follow in the footsteps of his father Paolo and grandfather Cesare, both former Italy captains.

The 22-year-old Maldini, a forward, plays for Monza after coming through the ranks at AC Milan.

Paolo Maldini retired from international soccer following the 2002 World Cup. He played 126 times for Italy.

Cesare Maldini’s last Italy appearance was in 1963, and he also coached the Azzurri.

Spalletti named three other players who could make their debuts: Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio, Milan defender Matteo Gabbia and Roma midfielder Niccolò Pisilli.

Italy plays Belgium in Rome on Oct. 10 and Israel in Udine four days later.

The Azzurri have won both of their Nations League matches so far against France and Israel, and top their group.

Goalkeepers: Michele Di Gregorio (Juventus), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham).

Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), Raoul Bellanova (Atalanta), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan), Matteo Gabbia (AC Milan), Caleb Okoli (Leicester), Destiny Udogie (Tottenham).

Midfielders: Nicolò Fagioli (Juventus), Davide Frattesi (Inter Milan), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Niccolò Pisilli (Roma), Samuele Ricci (Torino), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle).

Forwards: Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Daniel Maldini (Monza), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Atalanta).

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

AC Monza's Daniel Maldini, right, and Bologna's Jens Odgaard, left, challenge for the ball during a Serie A soccer match between Monza and Bologna in Monza, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (Studio Buzzi/LaPresse via AP)