21 killed as migrant boat capsizes off Senegal

At least 21 people have died after a migrant boat capsized off northwestern Senegal on Saturday (November 7), while one survivor was rescued and search operations continued, authorities said.

The Senegalese Interior Ministry said the death toll was provisional, with search teams still looking for possible survivors. Authorities were also assisting the victims' families.

The boat, a traditional flat-bottomed vessel known as a pirogue, capsized near the Loumpoul dunes in the Kebemer department, between Dakar and Saint-Louis, according to local media reports.

Most of the victims were reportedly from the Leona and Thieppe districts of the same department.

Thousands of people have died in recent years attempting to reach Spain's Canary Islands from West Africa. Migrant rights group Walking Borders reported that 635 people died on the route in the first five months of 2026.

Meanwhile, authorities on Spain's Canary Island of El Hierro declared an emergency on Saturday following a surge in migrant arrivals. More than 3,300 people arrived on around 30 boats since the beginning of November, according to local authorities.

Source: Al Jazeera

-AH