At least 34 people have died after a migrant boat sank off Senegal’s northwestern coast near Kebemer, roughly 180 kilometres north of Dakar, in the latest disaster along the Atlantic route to Spain’s Canary Islands.
The vessel was carrying people seeking to make the perilous crossing to the islands, a route that has claimed thousands of lives in recent years. Senegalese authorities initially said 21 bodies had been recovered and one person rescued, while search teams continued working at the scene as the reported death toll increased.
The sinking comes as officials on El Hierro in Spain’s Canary Islands declare an emergency amid a steep rise in migrant arrivals. More than 3,300 people have reached the island aboard around 30 boats over the past month or so, raising concerns over mounting pressure on local facilities and emergency services.
