A small boat carrying migrants and refugees has sunk off northwestern Senegal, killing at least 34 people, according to the Senegalese Press Agency (APS).
The Senegalese Interior Ministry said in a statement on Sunday, November 8, that one person had been rescued.
A statement issued by Action for Human Rights and Friendship (ADHA) confirmed the death toll reported by APS.
Media reports said the pirogue-type flat-bottomed boat capsized on Saturday off the Loumpoul dunes in the Kebemer department, between Dakar and the northern city of Saint-Louis.
Thousands of people have died in recent years attempting to reach Spain’s Canary Islands from West Africa, including 635 in the first five months of this year, according to migrant rights group Walking Borders.
Spanish authorities on the Canary Island of El Hierro declared an emergency on Saturday after a surge in migrant boat arrivals.
Since the start of November, El Hierro authorities said more than 3,300 people had arrived aboard around 30 boats.
