Searches continued along Senegal’s northern coast after authorities reported 21 dead and one survivor from a migrant boat incident, while the number aboard and the vessel’s destination remained unknown.
Senegal’s Interior Ministry gave the provisional count in a Nov. 7 communiqué quoted by Spanish news agency EFE. The statement put the toll at 21 dead and one survivor as of dusk that day.
The Senegalese Press Agency (APS) reported four deaths on Nov. 6 after a boat ran aground off Tébène 2, in Kébémer department. Le Soleil later reported that the toll had reached 21 and that gendarmes and firefighters were searching for more victims along the Lompoul coast.
Accounts differed on the incident’s location and description. APS reported a grounding near Tébène 2, while the ministry’s statement, as quoted by EFE, described a sinking off Kébémer. Le Soleil reported searches along Lompoul. The sources did not confirm how many people were aboard or where the boat departed.
The ministry said government agencies were continuing the search, assisting possible survivors and supporting families. It also said Senegal planned closer cooperation with neighboring countries to combat people-smuggling networks.
IOM’s Senegal data page lists the country among West African departure points for the Atlantic route to Spain’s Canary Islands. Authorities have not identified this boat’s destination. Senego reported, citing Le Dakarois 221, that Senegal’s interior minister planned to visit Kébémer on Nov. 9.
