39 die as migrant boat capsizes off Senegal, 22 perish near Greece
At least 61 migrants have lost their lives in separate maritime disasters off the coasts of Senegal and Greece, highlighting the growing dangers confronting people attempting to reach Europe through irregular migration routes.
The tragedies occurred over the weekend, with one of the deadliest incidents recorded off north-western Senegal, where a boat carrying migrants capsized near Loumpoul, between Dakar and Saint-Louis.
The death toll from the Senegal disaster rose to 39 on Monday after additional bodies were recovered. Only one survivor had been rescued, while search operations continued for other passengers who remained missing.
The boat had reportedly departed from Saint-Louis and was heading towards the Spanish coast when it overturned on Sunday near Kébémer, north of Dakar.
In a separate development, at least 22 migrants died in two incidents south of Crete, Greece, after boats travelling from eastern Libya encountered difficulties at sea.
According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Greek authorities rescued 28 Sudanese migrants and recovered eight bodies in one of the incidents, with several passengers still missing.
In the second incident, 18 survivors were rescued and 14 bodies recovered after a cargo vessel spotted the migrant boat in distress.
The IOM, in a statement on Monday, described the incidents as another indication of the enormous human cost of dangerous sea crossings along the Atlantic and Mediterranean migration routes.
Its Director-General, Amy Pope, said those who died were people who had left their homes in search of better opportunities.
“These were mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, people who left home hoping for a better life,” she said.
Pope blamed human smuggling and trafficking networks for exploiting vulnerable migrants by charging them for journeys aboard vessels unsuitable for dangerous sea conditions.
“Smugglers and traffickers charged them for a dangerous journey on boats that were not fit for the sea. These networks profit from desperation, and every day they operate, more lives are put at risk.
“Countries must go after them together and give people safe, legal ways to move. Our hearts are with every family waiting for news,” she added.
The migration agency also expressed concern over increasing movements along the eastern Libya-Crete route, noting that rising arrivals and gaps in search and rescue operations were exposing more people to danger.
It disclosed that at least 454 deaths and disappearances had been recorded along the Western African Atlantic migration route as of October 26, 2026.
The organisation cautioned that the actual figure could be higher because some boats disappear at sea without leaving survivors or traces of their passengers.
It also observed that migrant departures along the West African Atlantic route had increasingly shifted towards The Gambia, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, resulting in longer and more dangerous journeys.
The IOM called for stronger collaboration among countries of origin, transit and destination to improve search and rescue operations, support survivors and families of missing migrants, and dismantle criminal networks involved in human smuggling.
It further urged governments to expand safe and regular migration opportunities to discourage people from risking their lives on dangerous sea journeys.