At least 21 dead reported after boat accident off Senegal

At least 21 people died in an accident involving a boat carrying migrants off the coast of Senegal. According to the AFP news agency, Senegalese state media reported more than 30 deaths. The Interior Ministry of the West African country said on Platform X that one person had been rescued alive.

A search is underway for other possible survivors. The ministry did not say how many people might have been on board.

Dangerous escape route

According to the ministry, the boat sank off the coast of the city of Kébémer, north of the capital Dakar. The Senegalese Interior Minister wants to visit the scene of the accident today. The migration route across the Atlantic from West Africa to the Canary Islands is considered one of the most dangerous in the world.

According to the Spanish organization Caminando Fronteras, at least 635 people died on this route in the first five months of 2026. For every 100 migrants who reached the Canary Islands during this period, there were around 21 deaths.