Cape Verde boat disaster: 'My brother died for a dream we all have'

The member of antheral who died aft a vessel carrying dozens of migrants was recovered disconnected Cape Verde has told the BBC they were trying to scope Spain.

Almost each those connected committee the boat, which was astatine oversea for implicit a month, are thought to person been from Senegal.

"Everyone is shocked. He was 1 of the pillars of our family," Mamour Ba said astir his member Cheikhouna.

But the 27-year-old said helium would inactive effort the travel himself arsenic it was intolerable to marque a surviving successful Senegal.

Mr Ba is simply a pupil from the tiny sportfishing municipality of Fass Boye, halfway on the seashore betwixt the capital, Dakar, and the humanities municipality of St Louis.

Three of his brothers and 1 of his cousins were connected the woody pirogue benignant vessel that acceptable disconnected for Europe connected 10 July from Fass Boye with 101 radical connected board.

"They wanted to get to Spain. They said they wanted to permission and I couldn't archer them not to due to the fact that they'd already made their minds up."

He thought they had each died, until helium got a telephone from Cape Verde connected Wednesday aft their rescue.

They were among 38 people, including children, who were saved, with footage showing them being helped ashore, immoderate connected stretchers, connected the land of Sal. More than 60 different radical are feared to beryllium mislaid astatine sea.

The archipelago sits astir 600km (372 miles) disconnected the seashore of West Africa and connected the migration way to the Canary Islands, a Spanish territory seen by galore arsenic a way to the EU.

Mr Ba says helium inactive does not cognize the details of his relatives' five-week travel arsenic they were excessively disorientated: "They didn't person the spot to explicate what happened, they conscionable said: 'We're alive'. They sounded precise weak."

But arsenic the speech continued, helium recovered retired that not each of them had survived.

"One of my brothers, Ibrahima, utilized 1 of the doctor's phones to telephone maine from Cape Verde.

"He told america our different member Cheikhouna was mislaid astatine sea. I was shocked. We were precise close, helium was a existent fighter. He was joined with 2 kids.

"The time helium near helium held my hands and said, 'Brother I person to go.'

"He was my brother, helium was my friend."

After quality of the calamity dispersed successful Fass Boye, wherever astir of those connected committee the vessel hailed from, choler erupted connected Wednesday.

Some acceptable occurrence to the location of the mayor, angered with the authorities astir the deficiency of opportunities for young people.

This vexation is thing Mr Ba is each excessively acquainted with - helium has tried astatine slightest doubly to permission Senegal.

"There was thing for maine here... truthful I decided I needed to effort to determination to Europe via Morocco," helium said, speaking of his archetypal effort during his 3rd twelvemonth astatine university.

Things did not enactment retired though, and helium was forced to instrumentality location aft spending 9 months there.

But helium was determined to execute his imagination of moving to Europe - and tried again, this clip conscionable a fewer weeks ago, astatine the extremity of June, with Cheikhouna.

"This latest travel was Cheikhouna's 2nd effort astatine getting to Europe by boat. Three days aft we came back, helium had acceptable disconnected again," Mr Ba said.

"He was determined to permission due to the fact that helium had a household and there's thing for america present successful Senegal.

"We're fishermen, we enactment each time and we marque nary money. He conscionable wanted to provender his household and person a amended life."

Mr Ba knows it is risky to effort to committee different vessel to Europe, but it comes down to finances.

"I don't person the wealth to instrumentality a plane. It's amended to wage 300,000 CFA ($480, £375) oregon 400,000 CFA to spell to Spain than to walk millions trying to get determination by plane."

He says helium is not frightened of drowning.

"Others person done this travel and person drowned but it doesn't enactment maine off. It's a hazard I'm consenting to take. Even if determination was a vessel acceptable to spell today, I'd instrumentality it."

Are you oregon your household affected by the issues raised successful this story? You tin get successful interaction by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please see a interaction fig if you are consenting to talk to a BBC journalist. You tin besides get successful interaction successful the pursuing ways:

If you are speechmaking this leafage and can't spot the signifier you volition request to sojourn the mobile mentation of the BBC website to taxable your question oregon remark oregon you tin email america astatine HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please see your name, property and determination with immoderate submission.