The small boat was bound for Spain’s Canary Islands.
A small boat has capsized off the coast of Senegal (Image: Getty)
At least 39 people have died after a migrant boat travelling towards Europe capsized off the coast of Senegal, the Senegalese Press Agency (APS) reports. The small wooden boat which left the northern city of Saint-Louis was bound for Spain’s Canary Islands. According to the Ministry of Interior, only one passenger was rescued alive near the town of Kébémer, 112 miles north of the capital Dakar, and the number of missing people has yet to be confirmed. Initially, the Senegalese Ministry of the Interior stated that 21 bodies had been recovered. This number has since risen to 39.
Saliou Diouf, founder of Senegalese migrant aid group Boza Fii, told AFP that all the bodies recovered by Sunday evening were Senegalese.
The nationalities of other people on board have yet to be identified. Rescue teams are continuing to search a 25km (15 mile) stretch of coastline, with difficult access and strong ocean currents hindering operations and carrying bodies further south.
Authorities say 24 of the 39 victims have been identified and their bodies returned to their families, while 11 others are still awaiting identification.
The vessel was travelling through the perilous, well-travelled migration route through the Atlantic Ocean to Spain’s Canary Islands.
El Hierro has seen more than 3,300 migrants arrive this month (Image: Getty)
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has pledged to intensify efforts to dismantle the networks organising dangerous sea crossing.
In a statement on X, he offered his condolences to the victims’ families and urged Senegalese nationals not to risk their lives attempting the popular route.
Authorities on El Hierro, the second smallest, Canary Island declared an emergency on Saturday following a significant increase in small boat arrivals.
The tiny island, which is only home to 11,400 residents, has seen more than 3,300 migrants arrive this month in around 30 boats, according to officials. This makes up for almost a third of the population on the island.
“We are very concerned… by this sharp increase in arrivals,” Alpidio Armas, head of the El Hierro regional council, told Spanish television.
In 2024, around 47,000 migrants came from the west African coast heading to the Canaries, an 18% increase from the previous year.