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At least 21 dead after migrant boat sinks off Senegal coast, government says

By Thomson Reuters Nov 8, 2026 | 6:07 AM

(Corrects typo in signoff)

DAKAR, Nov 8 (Reuters) – 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

• The accident occurred off ​Kebemer, a town about 180 km north of ⁠Dakar

• Search and ⁠rescue operations were continuing ​as authorities looked for possible ​additional survivors

• The boat was ‌carrying people seeking to migrate irregularly, the statement said. It did not say how ⁠many were on board

• Thousands of people have died in recent ⁠years ‌attempting to reach Spain’s ⁠Canary Islands from West ​Africa, ‌including 635 in the ​first ⁠five months of this year, according to migrant rights group Walking Borders

(Reporting and writing by Clement Bonnerot; Editing by ​David Holmes)