A migrant boat capsized off Senegal’s coast over the weekend, leaving at least four dead and several missing, according to local authorities. The fishing boat, which departed from Mbour on Sunday en route to Europe, overturned a few miles offshore. Local fishermen rescued three survivors, while the Senegalese navy continues to search for the missing, though the total number aboard is unknown.
West African migration through Senegal has surged as people flee conflict and poverty, with many heading to the Canary Islands as a gateway to Europe. Spain reported over 22,300 arrivals on the islands this year, a 126% increase from last year.
In July, a similar tragedy occurred when a boat carrying 300 migrants from Gambia and Senegal capsized off Mauritania, resulting in over a dozen deaths and 150 missing. The Atlantic route is one of the most dangerous, with thousands of migrant deaths estimated by rights groups.
