Last July, a group of 101 men and boys set off from a Senegalese fishing village on the west coast of Africa. They hoped to reach Spain’s Canary Islands within the week. Instead, they were blown off course.

Set adrift in the Atlantic Ocean, the migrants resorted to drinking seawater to quench their thirst, Reuters reports. As they started dying one by one, disposing of the bodies became a daily trial.

"I thought I would be next, that one morning, I too would be dead and in the sea," recalls Birane Mbaye from his home in the village of Fass Boye in Senegal.

After 35 days at sea, a Spanish fishing vessel spotted the wooden fishing boat, known as a pirogue, about 140 nautical miles northeast of Sal Island in the Cape Verde archipelago, Spain's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre said. They had drifted over 350 nautical miles west of their intended route and were nearly as far from the Canary Islands as when they started. Only 38 people survived. Seven bodies were recovered, and 56 people were reported missing, presumed dead.

Despite the harrowing experience, Mbaye reflects on his determination to provide for his family, even if it means risking his life once more. "I won't give up," he said. "If I have better opportunities in Senegal, I prefer to stay here. But if I don't, I'll risk my life again," he told Reuters.

Mbaye, who is in his mid-thirties, started thinking of trying for Europe after the birth of his daughter Maguette, in April last year. He worried about the family's financial future after he spent all his savings on traditional festivities to mark her arrival.

Earning as little as 2,000 CFA franc (3.28 US dollars) per day as a fisherman for hire, Mbaye shares a sparsely furnished room with his wife and 1-year-old daughter in his parents' half-built house. They sleep on a mattress on the floor and wash in water from a plastic kettle. Entrenched poverty and tales of fortunes earned abroad drove Mbaye to squeeze onto the boat bound for Spain's Canary Islands, some 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from their village. 

Record numbers attempted the perilous Atlantic crossing last year after other routes to Europe across the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea became more heavily policed. Over 39,900 people reached the Canary Islands from West Africa, an all-time high, according to Spain's interior ministry. 

Diminishing fish stocks and soaring living costs have made it hard to make ends meet, locals say. They blame overfishing by international trawlers and say their small boats can't compete. 

Dozens of wooden fishing boats line Fass Boye's sandy beach, a sign of fishing's central role in the local economy. But like many coastal communities, the village about 100 km north of Senegal's capital, Dakar, has seen hundreds of its residents leave in search of more opportunities.  

"Since the accident, I've been growing vegetables although it's taking time to get anywhere with it," said Ngouda Boye, another survivor. "I've stopped fishing, I'd rather concentrate on farming and see if it pays off. I'll do a year without fishing," he told Reuters.

The reporting by Reuters took place in February and March 2024