Migrant boat sinking off Senegal's Kébémer kills at least 39

As of 10:39 p.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026

At least 39 people have died after a boat carrying migrants sank off Lompoul, in the Kébémer department of northwestern Senegal, the state news agency APS reported Monday, citing the latest update from search operations. One person survived.

Four more bodies were found Monday morning, the agency said. Of the 39 dead, 24 had been identified and returned to their families, APS reported. Searches have continued for three days along about 25 kilometers (16 miles) of hard-to-reach coastline, and an investigation has been opened into the circumstances of the sinking, according to APS.

A rising toll

The interior ministry first said on Saturday evening that 21 bodies had been recovered and one survivor rescued, according to Reuters. The ministry called that toll provisional, DW reported.

On Sunday, APS reported, citing an official source, that the number of dead had risen to 34. Firefighters gave AFP a toll of 35 on Sunday evening, according to 20 Minutes, before Monday's update raised it to 39.

Authorities have not said how many people were on board.

Government response

Kébémer is about 180 kilometers (112 miles) north of the capital, Dakar, in the Louga region, according to Reuters and APS. According to APS, Louga's governor, Ndèye Ngénar Mbodj, visited the area Sunday as officials worked to identify and preserve the bodies.

In a statement reported by APS, Interior Minister Mouhamadou Makhtar Cissé expressed his "deep sadness" and offered condolences to the victims' families on behalf of the president and the government. He said state services were mobilized to continue the search, rescue any survivors and support the families.

Cissé visited the village of Tébène 2 on Monday to offer condolences, APS reported. "Leaving is an option, but dying at sea must not be an option," he said, according to APS and AFP. He called the smugglers "modern-day slave traders" who must be tracked down, AFP reported via France 24. Asked about social media reports that the navy had intervened at the time of the sinking, Cissé said he had no details yet on the exact circumstances and urged people to await the investigation, APS reported.

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said on Facebook that "all the authorities and all the means of the state are mobilized to find the missing, care for the survivors and support the families," according to AFP.

The government reaffirmed its determination to fight people-smuggling networks, including through stronger cooperation with neighboring countries, APS reported. It also urged people to be more vigilant about the dangers of irregular migration.