Symbolic imageSenegal boat sinking toll rises to at least 39 as Canaries declare migrant emergency
A migrant boat from Saint-Louis capsized off northwestern Senegal on Sunday. Reports put the dead at 34 to 39.
The pirogue was heading for the Spanish coast when it overturned off the Lompoul dunes in the Kebemer department, 180 km north of Dakar, on Sunday, 8 November, state media said. Initial reports counted 21 dead. As emergency services recovered more bodies, Al Jazeera reported 39, while Koha put the toll at 34. Only one passenger was rescued alive and several others are believed missing. The Interior Ministry said the boat carried people migrating irregularly but did not say how many were aboard. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye offered condolences and pledged to clamp down on traffickers.
Rights group demands inquiry
The Senegalese group Action for Human Rights and Friendship (ADHA) called for a parliamentary inquiry. It denounced a "lack of lasting results" despite 300 thousand euros announced for the Navy and the training of more than 300 agents.
Emergency in the Canaries
Authorities on El Hierro declared an emergency on Saturday, 7 November, after more than 3,300 people arrived on about 30 boats since the start of November. Walking Borders counts 635 deaths on the route in the first five months of this year.