A migrant ship sinks off the coast of Senegal, killing at least 26 people

On September 10, 2024, the Senegalese navy released news that a ship carrying illegal immigrants had sunk in the country's western waters a few days ago, causing at least 26 deaths.

The Senegalese navy said on social media on the same day that after learning on the 8th that the ship had sunk off the coast of Mbour City in western Senegal, the military immediately dispatched ships to carry out search and rescue operations. On the 9th and 10th, the search and rescue personnel retrieved a total of 26 bodies of the victims. According to witnesses in Mbour, dozens of people boarded this ship on the same day, and the ship capsized shortly after leaving the shore. At present, a large number of passengers are still missing and the search and rescue work is still continuing.

The coast of Senegal is one of the main departure points for local immigrants to Europe. A large number of illegal immigrants in West Africa often set off from Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia by simple boats and head to the Canary Islands of Spain to seek work or asylum. However, the Atlantic shipping route has strong currents and is very dangerous. Every year, many immigrants die or go missing due to reasons such as overloaded ships and unseaworthiness. This sinking incident of the Senegalese migrant ship once again sounds the alarm for the illegal immigration problem and also attracts the attention of the international community to the safety of migrants.