Eight fun seekers drown in Senegal

Senegal’s President Macky Sall on Monday called for “urgent” measures to make beaches safer after eight fun seekers drowned off the capital Dakar over the weekend.

Such drownings are a frequent event during periods of hot weather in the West African state’s bustling capital, as many residents seek to cool off in the Atlantic waters.

But in a rare spike on Sunday, eight people drowned along the same stretch of beach in the suburbs, according to a fire brigade spokesman.

Swimming at that beach is forbidden because of rough conditions, the spokesman added, but such bans are widely ignored.

Seven bodies were recovered on the beach on Sunday, and an eighth washed up on shore the following day. All the victims were in their twenties.

On Monday, President Macky Sall called the deaths “intolerable” in a tweet.

“I call on the government and local authorities to take appropriate and urgent measures to ensure better security on the beaches,” he added.

Lifeguards are on duty only on beaches in Dakar where swimming is permitted.

Residents complain that property developments and beach privatisations have severely restricted their access to the coastline.

(AFP)