At least 21 dead as migrant boat sinks off northwestern Senegal
Senegal's Interior Ministry says one person was rescued and 21 bodies recovered after a pirogue capsized off the Loumpoul dunes, as the search continues.
Dakar — A small boat carrying migrants and refugees has sunk off northwestern Senegal, killing at least 21 people, according to the country's Interior Ministry.
In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said one person had been rescued in addition to the 21 bodies recovered. It described the toll as "provisional" as of late Saturday, said the search was continuing and added that the families of the victims were being helped, Al Jazeera reported.
Media reports said the pirogue-type flat-bottomed boat capsized on Saturday off the Loumpoul dunes in the Kebemer department, between Dakar and the northern city of Saint-Louis. The newspaper Le Soleil said most of the victims came from the Leona and Thieppe districts in the same department.
The route from West Africa to Spain's Canary Islands is among the deadliest in the world. Thousands of people have died attempting the crossing in recent years, including 635 in the first five months of this year, according to the migrant rights group Walking Borders.
The sinking came as arrivals in the Canaries surged again. Spanish authorities on the island of El Hierro declared an emergency on Saturday after what they said was a sharp rise in boat arrivals: more than 3,300 people aboard around 30 boats since the start of November, according to the island's authorities.
For the families in Kebemer, the immediate wait is for news. With the ministry saying the search is still under way and the toll provisional, relatives of those who left by sea will be hoping for word of survivors while bracing for the figure to rise.
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