A boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Senegal, killing at least 26 people.
Authorities said the wooden fishing boat had sailed just 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) when it sank with more than 100 people on board.
Grieving relatives and friends gathered on the beach, anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones.
So far, 4 people have been rescued and the search is still ongoing.
The ship departed from Mbur, about 80 kilometers south of the capital Dhaka, bound for Spain’s Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa.
The number of migrants leaving West Africa through Senegal has surged in recent years.
Most young people fleeing conflict, poverty and unemployment attempt the dangerous Atlantic route to the Spanish islands, with nearly 30,000 arriving this year.
Spain is one of the European countries that receives the most immigrants, and Mediterranean routes remain the most popular.
But increasingly, migrants from West Africa are choosing to travel across the Atlantic to the Canary Islands.
Despite the dangers, it only takes one step and does not require crossing the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea.
A surge in migrants trying to cross the border prompted Spain’s prime minister to visit the three West African countries of Senegal, Mauritania and Gambia last month for crisis talks with leaders.
Earlier this year, the EU reached a $227 million deal with Mauritania to strengthen border security. Spain is a key partner in the negotiations in Mauritania.
