At least 39 dead as migrant boat sinks off Senegal on Atlantic route to the Canary Islands

Along a 25-kilometre stretch of Senegal's northern coast, rescue teams have spent days searching for the dead. A small wooden boat carrying migrants capsized between the capital, Dakar, and the northern city of Saint-Louis. It was heading for Spain's Canary Islands. The Senegalese Press Agency, APS, reports that at least 39 people have died.

The interior ministry says one person was rescued. It has not established how many remain missing, so the toll may rise. Saliou Diouf, founder of the Senegalese migrant aid group Boza Fii, told AFP that every body recovered by Sunday evening was Senegalese. The nationalities of the others aboard have not been determined, and searches continue.

The work is hard. Access along the coast is difficult, and strong ocean currents are pushing bodies further south. On Monday morning, four bodies were recovered in an advanced state of decomposition. The fire service organised a collective funeral prayer, and they were buried. Of the 39 victims, authorities say 24 have been identified and returned to their families. Eleven are still waiting to be identified.

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye expressed his condolences to the families and urged Senegalese people not to risk their lives at sea. In a statement on X, he promised to intensify efforts against the networks that organise the journeys. He said the fight against organisers would continue relentlessly, alongside work to give young people reasons to hope at home. The interior ministry said on Sunday that it would keep up its campaign against smuggling networks, including by strengthening cooperation with neighbouring countries.

The sinking comes as the Atlantic route draws fresh attention. The Spanish group Walking Borders recorded 635 deaths on the route to the Canary Islands between January and May 2026, the highest toll among the routes it monitors. It estimates that about 21 people died for every 100 who reached the islands during that period.

Other boats are still setting out. On Friday, Senegalese authorities intercepted a boat carrying 142 migrants bound for Spain. Aboard were 23 women, two babies and two other children. Police said the group came from Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea and Nigeria.

On the Spanish side, a state of emergency was declared on El Hierro on Saturday after a surge in arrivals. Local authorities say more than 3,300 people have reached the island in about 30 boats since the start of November, almost a third of its population. Fernando Clavijo, president of the Canary Islands regional government, called the situation absolutely unsustainable, according to Reuters.

The route has gained prominence as controls tighten and European countries cooperate more closely with North African states, which may have diverted some journeys away from the central Mediterranean. The International Organization for Migration cites limited jobs, family pressures and established migration networks as factors pushing people to leave Senegal. Nearly one in four young Senegalese was unemployed in the second quarter of 2026, according to the national statistics agency. That is the challenge facing Faye's government, which won overwhelming support from a young population in the 2024 elections.

For now, the immediate questions are practical: how many people were aboard, who they were, and whether the currents will return more of the missing. Eleven families are still waiting for a name.