At least 39 people have died after a boat carrying migrants towards Spain’s Canary Islands capsized off the coast of Senegal, according to the Senegalese Press Agency.
The wooden vessel sank between Dakar and the northern city of Saint-Louis.
Senegal’s Interior Ministry said one person had been rescued, while the number of people still missing remained unclear as search operations continued.
Rescue teams recovered several bodies along a 25-kilometre stretch of coastline, with strong ocean currents making the operation difficult.
Saliou Diouf, founder of migrant support group Boza Fii, said the bodies recovered by Sunday evening were Senegalese, although the nationalities of other passengers had not been established.
The tragedy highlights the dangers of the Atlantic migration route to the Canary Islands.
Walking Borders, a Spanish migrant rights organisation, recorded 635 deaths along the route between January and May 2026, the highest number among the migration routes it monitors.
