Journalists retrace fateful journey of group of 43 African migrants lost at sea

John Yang:

Last year, more than 2,000 migrants died while attempting to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Now we're learning about a longer and more dangerous route across the Atlantic. A new Associated Press investigation has uncovered the desperate and sometimes deadly journey many African migrants are taking. The reporting centers on a boat that drifted thousands of miles from the coast of Mauritania in Africa to Tobago in the Caribbean. Those on board were in search of a better life in Europe but never made it.

AP journalists Renata Brito and Felipe Dana spent nearly two years unraveling the story of the boat and of the lives of the people in it. Thanks so much for joining us. First of all, before we get into the actual story, tell us what they were leaving.

Renata Brito, Reporter, Associated Press:

Of course. First of all, as far as we know, they're all men. We were able to identify by name 33 of the 43 people believed to have boarded this boat. They came from countries in West Africa and the Sahel, from Mauritania, from Mali, from Senegal, where there is not just poverty and lack of opportunities for young men, but there is also conflict, political instability, the effects of climate change on their livelihoods. The situation is only getting worse and they simply wanted better lives.

John Yang:

This story began about two years ago in Tobago when a boat washed up. Tell us a little bit about that.

Renata Brito:

When it first appeared, it made the local news and the police found out quickly that the boat was from Mauritania. But apart from that they didn't have any information on the people who had boarded it, why they had died, who they were and why this boat was found drifting. We saw this news, not just me, but other journalists, migration experts and we noticed how similar it was to the boats being used by migrants to reach the Canary Islands, these islands off the coast of northwest Africa that are used as a stepping stone to reach Europe.

And we immediately thought this might be a case of a group of migrants and potentially refugees who were trying to reach Europe and got lost in the Atlantic and their boat ended up on the other side.

John Yang:

How were you able to find out who these people were? As you say, you named 33 of them. How were you able to trace them back and you even spoke to their family members?

Felipe Dana, Visual Journalist & Editor, Associated Press: Yes, well, that was a long process. We went to where we believe they were trying to reach the Canary Islands and then we gather evidence there. We were able to get phone numbers that were retrieved from SIM cards of some cellphone that were in the boat and that's how we began to basically call every number and create a list and try to find out more.

Renata Brito:

And from calling those numbers, we basically found who the owner of the phone was and that he had gone missing after boarding a boat from Nouadhibou and Mauritania with a lot of other young men from his region and also from neighboring countries from Mali and Senegal.

And so we went back to their hometowns, many of them spoke to their families, compiled the information together. And then we went to Tobago, looked at the evidence there, sent it back to their families who were able to recognize some clothing. And ultimately we managed to do a DNA test confirmation for one family.

And now the Red Cross after our investigation has gone to collect more DNA samples to see if there are more matches that can be made with the remaining bodies in Tobago.

John Yang:

In some cases, I imagine you were delivering the first news that these families were having of their loved ones?

Felipe Dana:

Yes. As journalists, we used to — when we do these kind of stories, we're not usually the ones that have to give that information. But what happened was, especially in Mauritania when we were meeting the families, they really didn't know anything about what happened to their loved ones and they just knew when they left and that's it.

And were in a very difficult position to have to share with them what we knew, that was — that most likely their relatives, their sons and husbands were on the other side of the Atlantic and that there were no survivors.

John Yang:

On the other side of the Atlantic. They were trying to get to the Canary Islands. They ended up thousands of miles away in the Caribbean. Is this an isolated incident or are there other incidents like this?

Renata Brito:

There are other incidents like this, as we found out in our investigation and in most of the cases, the victims are rarely identified. And basically what happens is because of the winds in the Atlantic, especially the trade winds, when you miss — if you miss your target, you know, they're on very overcrowded boats often that are not, you know, being navigated appropriately. They're not meant for such voyages. The engines —

Felipe Dana:

Underpowered, yes.

Renata Brito:

Yes, underpowered. And so if you miss your target, the Canary Islands, you end up in the middle of the ocean and the winds are against you. They push you to the other side of the Atlantic.

John Yang:

It's a fascinating and very sad tale. Renata Brito and Felipe Dana of the Associated Press, thank you very much.

Felipe Dana:

Thank you.

Renata Brito:

Thank you.