35 Migrants D!e As Europe-Bound Boat Caps!zes Off Senegal Coast
35 Migrants Die As Europe-Bound Boat Capsizes Off Senegal Coast
Saliou Diouf, founder of Senegalese migrant support organisation Boza Fii, said that all the bodies recovered so far were identified as Senegalese nationals, while the identities of other passengers remained unknown.
At least 35 migrants have died after a wooden boat carrying people towards Spain’s Canary Islands capsized off the coast of Senegal, leaving several others missing as rescue operations continued.
The Senegalese Interior Ministry confirmed that one person had been rescued, while authorities were still working to establish how many people remained unaccounted for after the boat sank between Dakar, the country’s capital, and the northern city of Saint-Louis.
According to BBC, the Senegalese Press Agency (APS) reported the initial death toll of 34, citing an official source. However, subsequent reports put the death toll at 35, with one survivor. The victims were travelling aboard the vessel in an attempt to reach Spain through the Atlantic Ocean route.
Saliou Diouf, founder of Senegalese migrant support organisation Boza Fii, said that all the bodies recovered so far were identified as Senegalese nationals, while the identities of other passengers remained unknown.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye expressed condolences to the victims’ families and warned young people against undertaking the dangerous journey. In a statement posted on X, he pledged to intensify the government’s crackdown on those organising illegal migration journeys.
“We will relentlessly continue the fight against those who organise these crossings and the work that gives our young people reasons to hope here,” he said.
The boat capsized around the Loumpoul dunes in the Kébémer department of northwestern Senegal, along the Atlantic migration route used by thousands of West Africans attempting to reach Spain’s Canary Islands.
Spanish migrant rights organisation Walking Borders recorded 635 deaths along the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands between January and May 2026. The organisation estimated that approximately 21 people died for every 100 migrants who successfully reached the islands during the period.
The latest disaster comes amid other attempts by migrants to make the dangerous journey. Senegalese authorities intercepted another boat on Friday carrying 142 people, including 23 women, two babies and two other children. Police said the passengers included nationals of Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea and Nigeria.
Meanwhile, authorities on Spain’s Canary Island of El Hierro declared a state of emergency on Saturday following a sharp increase in migrant arrivals. More than 3,300 people reportedly arrived on the island in approximately 30 boats since the beginning of November.
Limited employment opportunities, family pressures and established migration networks have continued to drive migration from Senegal, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Nearly one in four young people in the country was unemployed in the second quarter of 2026, according to national statistics.
Senegal’s Interior Ministry reaffirmed the government’s commitment to dismantling people-smuggling networks through stronger cooperation with neighbouring countries. Authorities are expected to continue search and recovery operations while working to identify the victims and support their families.
