Symbolic imageDeath toll climbs after migrant boat sinks off Senegal
A migrant boat capsized off Kébémer in northwestern Senegal, and the provisional toll has risen from 21 to as many as 35 dead. Searches continue.
The Senegalese Interior Ministry said on Sunday, 8 November, that one person was rescued and 21 bodies were found. The Senegalese Press Agency and the rights group ADHA reported at least 34 dead, and the fire brigade told AFP the count had reached 35. An interior ministry source told AFP the toll will rise further. Sources disagree on the day: Boza Fii founder Saliou Diouf says Friday, while Al Jazeera cites media reports of Saturday. The pirogue went down off the Loumpoul dunes between Dakar and Saint-Louis, and Le Soleil reports that most victims came from Léona and Thiéppe.
Government response
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye wrote on Facebook that all state resources are mobilised and vowed to fight those who organise such crossings. The interior ministry pledged closer cooperation with neighbouring countries against smuggling networks, and the minister is due at the site on Monday.
Pressure on the Atlantic route
On Friday, Senegalese gendarmes intercepted 142 migrants off Dakar who were heading for Spain. On Saturday, authorities on Spain's El Hierro declared an emergency, saying more than 3,300 people had arrived on around 30 boats since the start of November.