Senegal reported an additional death resulting from a migrant boat capsizing off the coast of the capital Dakar on Tuesday, bringing the total death toll to 16.
Initially, officials had reported that 15 people lost their lives when the wooden boat overturned overnight from Sunday to Monday.
In recent weeks, there has been a surge in activity along the Atlantic sea route from northwest Africa, which is frequently used by migrants attempting to reach Europe via Spain’s Canary Islands.
In mid-July, a pirogue sank off the northern port city of Saint-Louis, near Senegal’s border with Mauritania, resulting in the death of at least 14 people.
NGOs frequently report fatal shipwrecks in Moroccan, Spanish, and international waters, and unofficial estimates suggest that the death toll could be in the dozens, if not hundreds.
On Monday, Senegal’s President Macky Sall conveyed his “deep sorrow” over the fatalities in the recent boat tragedy.
Sall urged the authorities to intensify controls at potential departure sites and enhance public programs aimed at countering illegal migration.