Emergency services in Senegal have confirmed that at least 35 people have lost their lives following the capsizing of a small boat carrying migrants off the country's northwestern coast. While an initial statement from the Senegalese interior ministry provisionally reported 21 bodies recovered and only a single survivor, the death toll rose to at least 34 before reaching 35 by Sunday night, according to the official Senegalese Press Agency (APS) and the rights group Action for Human Rights and Friendship (ADHA). Emergency services noted that the toll is provisional and has been changing since Friday, while an interior ministry source warned that the number will unfortunately rise as an indeterminate number of passengers remain missing.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye stated on Facebook that all state authorities and resources have been mobilized to locate those who have gone missing, provide care for the survivors, and support families. This incident occurs as thousands of West Africans attempt the crossing towards Spain's Canary Islands each year. On Friday, Senegalese authorities intercepted another pirogue carrying 142 people bound for Spain, including 23 women, two babies, and two other children from Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, and Nigeria. The interior ministry reiterated its determination to combat people smuggling networks, notably through strengthened cooperation with neighbouring countries.
The maritime route remains increasingly perilous. On Saturday, authorities on the Canary Island of El Hierro declared an emergency following a spike in arrivals, with more than 3,300 people landing aboard approximately 30 boats since the start of November. Stepped-up naval patrols off Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco have compelled smuggling networks to launch further south from The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Guinea, substantially extending the duration and danger of the ocean voyage.
