At least 21 dead as migrant boat capsizes off Senegal

At least 21 people have ​died after a boat carrying ‌migrants sank off the Senegalese coast, the interior ministry said on Sunday.

Authorities ​had rescued one survivor ​and found 21 bodies as of ⁠Saturday evening, the ministry said ​in a statement on X

At least 21 people have died after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Senegal, the country’s interior ministry announced, Euronews reports.

In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said the pirogue came into difficulty off Kébémer in the northwest. Search and rescue operations are underway, and one survivor has been found so far.

“On behalf of the president of the Republic and the government, the minister for the interior and public security pays tribute to the memory of the victims and offers his sincere condolences to the bereaved families,” the statement added.

The government reasserted its “determination to combat people-smuggling networks” and said it would work with neighbouring countries to address the issue.

The UN’s International Organization for Migration says tighter controls in Senegal, Morocco and Mauritania are pushing migrants on the Atlantic Route towards countries such as The Gambia.