Death toll rises to 39 after migrant boat capsizes off Senegal on route to Canary Islands
The death toll from a migrant boat that capsized off Lompoul, Senegal, has risen to 39 after four more bodies were recovered. The wooden pirogue had left Saint-Louis bound for Spain’s Canary Islands before sinking on Friday. Video shows the hull broken in two on a beach between Dakar and Saint-Louis. Emergency services searched the coastline for three days over a 25-kilometre stretch. Only one survivor has been reported, and the number of people who were aboard remains unknown.
Most of the dead were young people from nearby communities. Regional governor Ndeye Nguenar Mbodj said more than 20 victims have been identified and returned to relatives. Authorities also asked for permission to bury four decomposed bodies locally, and a judicial investigation has been opened.
The wreck underscores the risks of the Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands, where overcrowded fishing boats often make long crossings in dangerous waters. Tighter coastal patrols have pushed some journeys farther offshore and made them more hazardous.
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