At least 21 migrants die after boat capsizes off Senegal's coast

In brief

• At least 21 migrants died when a boat capsized off Senegal's northwestern coast.
• The interior ministry says search operations are still continuing.
• Only one person survived; the boat was heading for the Canary Islands.
• Walking Borders reports 635 deaths in similar incidents in the first five months of the year.

Boat capsizes off northwestern Senegal

At least 21 people drowned after a boat carrying migrants went down off Senegal's northwestern coast, the interior ministry said, according to Reuters (U pobřeží Senegalu zahynulo při ztroskotání člunu nejméně 21 migrantů. Pátrací akce pokračují – iROZHLAS). The ministry did not specify the exact day of the accident. Rescue teams are still searching the area for further victims.

Survivor and location

Only one person survived the capsizing, the Senegalese interior ministry reported (Migration - Mindestens 21 Menschen bei Bootsunglück vor senegalesischer Küste ums Leben gekommen – Deutschlandfunk). The accident happened roughly 180 kilometres north of the capital, Dakar. The migrants were trying to travel from West Africa to the Canary Islands, which belong to Spain.

Wider toll on the Atlantic route

The Atlantic crossing to the Canary Islands is one of the deadliest migration routes in the world. According to the aid organisation Walking Borders, 635 people died in similar incidents in the first five months of the year. Many migrants from West Africa take this sea route to reach Spanish territory, often in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats.