Dakar: At least 21 people died after a boat carrying migrants sank off Senegal's coast, the country's interior ministry said on Sunday.
A small boat carrying migrants and refugees has sunk off northwestern Senegal, killing at least 21 people.The Senegalese Interior Ministry said the death toll was “provisional,” adding that the search was still ongoing.🔗 : https://t.co/qBLKW38Usb https://t.co/S9QdQeduiB
The ministry said in a post on X that as of Saturday evening one person had been found alive, and that teams had been mobilised to continue searching for any more possible survivors. It did not specify how many people were believed to have been on board.
The ministry said the boat sank off the coast of the town of Kebemer, north of Dakar. It added that Senegal's interior minister will visit the site on Monday.
The Atlantic migration route from West Africa to Spain's Canary Islands is one of the deadliest in the world. At least 635 people died in the first five months of 2026, according to the Spanish rights group Walking Borders.
DRAME MIGRATOIRE SUR LE LITTORAL DE KÉBÉMERLe Ministre de l’Intérieur et de la Sécurité publique exprime sa vive émotion et sa profonde tristesse à la suite du naufrage d’une pirogue transportant des candidats à la migration irrégulière au large de Kébémer. Au soir du 7 novembre 2026, le bilan provisoire fait état de 21 corps sans vie et d’un rescapé.Au nom du Président de la République et du Gouvernement, le Ministre de l’Intérieur et de la Sécurité publique s’incline devant la mémoire des victimes et présente ses sincères condoléances aux familles endeuillées.Les services compétents de l’État sont mobilisés pour poursuivre les recherches, porter secours aux éventuels rescapés et accompagner les familles.Le Gouvernement réaffirme sa détermination à combattre les réseaux de passeurs, notamment par une coopération renforcée avec les pays voisins. Il appelle à la vigilance face aux dangers de la migration irrégulière et rappelle son engagement en faveur de l’insertion des jeunes.Le Ministre se rendra sur les lieux le lundi 9 novembre pour témoigner aux familles des victimes et aux populations affectées la compassion et la solidarité de l’État.
The group said for every 100 migrants that made it to the Canary Islands in that period, around 21 died.
In July, the United Nations refugee agency said nearly 150 people died or went missing within the space of one week from boats that sank off Mauritania as they were trying to make their way to Europe. It added that almost 400 people were rescued.
On New Year's Eve 2025, a boat carrying more than 200 migrants sank off the coast of Gambia. Red Cross officials reported that 44 bodies were recovered.