At least 21 people died after a boat carrying migrants sank off Senegal’s coast, the interior ministry said on Sunday, according to Straits Times / Reuters.

Authorities had rescued one survivor and recovered 21 bodies as of Saturday evening, the ministry said on X. The accident occurred off Kebemer, about 180 km north of Dakar. Search and rescue operations were continuing for any further survivors.

The boat was carrying people seeking to migrate irregularly; the statement did not say how many were aboard. The episode fits the dangerous Atlantic route toward Spain’s Canary Islands, which thousands attempt each year.

Migrant rights group Walking Borders estimated 635 people died on that route in the first five months of this year alone. Maritime patrols by Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco have pushed some departures further south, lengthening crossings.

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said state agencies were mobilised for search, assistance and support to families. The government restated its determination to combat people-smuggling networks.

The toll remains provisional; later reports cited higher figures as searches advanced. This article reflects the initial official Sunday announcement.

Image: satellite view of Senegal (NASA, public domain).

Sources consulted: At least 21 dead after migrant boat sinks off Senegal coast — The Straits Times.