At least 34 migrants have died after a wooden boat carrying asylum seekers capsized off Senegal’s coast as it headed toward Spain’s Canary Islands, according to the Senegalese Press Agency (APS) citing an official source.
The interior ministry reported one survivor, while the total number of those still missing remains unknown.
The small wooden vessel overturned between Dakar and Saint‑Louis before reaching its intended destination.
Spanish migrant‑rights organization Walking Borders recorded 635 fatalities on the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands between January and May 2026, the highest death toll among the routes it monitors.
Saliou Diouf, founder of the Senegalese aid group Boza Fii, told AFP that all recovered bodies were Senegalese; the nationalities of the remaining passengers are still being ascertained as searches continue.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye offered condolences to the families and urged Senegalese nationals not to risk their lives on perilous sea crossings.
In a post on X, he pledged to step up efforts to dismantle the smuggling networks that organize such journeys, declaring, “We will relentlessly continue the fight against those who organise these crossings and the work that gives our young people reasons to hope here.”
The disaster highlights growing concerns about the dangers faced by migrants attempting to reach Europe via the Atlantic.
Walking Borders estimates that roughly 21 migrants died for every 100 who successfully reached the Canary Islands during the monitored period.
Senegalese authorities intercepted another vessel on Friday carrying 142 migrants bound for Spain, including 23 women, two infants and two other children. The group comprised nationals of Senegal, Gambia, Guinea‑Bissau, Guinea and Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the Spanish island of El Hierro declared a state of emergency on Saturday after a surge in arrivals. More than 3,300 people have landed on the island in about 30 boats since early November, local authorities said.
The Canary Islands have become a key gateway into Europe for migrants and refugees crossing the Atlantic from West Africa, a route that has grown in importance as tighter controls and increased cooperation between European and North African nations shift traffic away from the central Mediterranean.
Limited job opportunities, family pressures and established migration networks drive many Senegalese to leave, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The prospect of better employment abroad remains a powerful lure for young people, despite the hazardous conditions aboard overcrowded boats.
Youth unemployment in Senegal stood at nearly one in four in the second quarter of 2026, data from the country’s statistics agency shows, underscoring the employment challenge President Faye’s government faces while delivering on promises to a largely youthful electorate that backed him in the 2024 polls.
On Sunday, Senegal’s interior ministry announced it would continue its crackdown on people‑smuggling networks, including by bolstering cooperation with neighboring countries.