The toll was preliminary and could be revised upward, Red Cross officials was quoted as saying.

    At least 24 others were rescued in the Saturday accident, security authorities said. Some of the survivors were being treated in the northern Senegalese city of St. Louis.

    The boat, a small fishing craft, departed from the south of the West African country earlier this month on a journey to Spain's Canary Islands but lost control and ran out of fuel later, according to the Senegalese Press Agency.

    The situation were worsened by bad weather, and the passengers, mostly African job seekers, had to drink ocean water after they ran out of food.

    The drifting craft capsized at least twice and spilled many passengers into the sea before it was rescued near St. Louis on Saturday.

    According to statistics of the Spanish authorities, about 20,000 young people from West Africa have reached the Canary Islands through such adventure to seek jobs in European countries since January and hundreds lost their lives in their attempts so far this year.

    Last week, four people were killed when a migrant boat carrying dozens of job seekers sank on the sea near Dakar.