At least 34 dead as migrant boat sinks off northwestern Senegal

At least 34 individuals have perished after a small boat carrying migrants and refugees capsized off the northwest coast of Senegal, according to the Senegalese Press Agency (APS). The Senegalese Interior Ministry reported on Sunday, November 8, that only one survivor had been rescued. Action for Human Rights and Friendship (ADHA) corroborated the death toll disclosed by APS.

News outlets indicate the pirogue-type flat-bottomed vessel overturned on Saturday near the Loumpoul dunes in the Kebemer department, situated between Dakar and Saint-Louis. Le Soleil newspaper noted that the majority of the casualties hailed from the Leona and Thieppe districts within the same department.

In recent years, thousands of lives have been lost as migrants and refugees attempt to reach Spain’s Canary Islands from West Africa. As of the first five months of this year, 635 individuals had succumbed to their endeavors, revealed the migrant rights group Walking Borders. Spanish authorities declared an emergency on Saturday in El Hierro, one of the Canary Islands, following a surge in migrant boat arrivals.

Since the beginning of November, El Hierro authorities have documented over 3,300 arrivals aboard approximately 30 vessels.