Migrant boat sinks off Senegal, 34 killed: authorities

DAKAR: A small boat carrying migrants sank off northwestern Senegal, killing 34 people in the latest tragedy along the dangerous Atlantic Ocean route from Africa to Europe, the authorities said Sunday.

It was the latest disaster on a route where thousands have died in recent years trying to reach Spain’s Canary Islands from west Africa.

An initial statement from the Senegalese interior ministry said 21 bodies and only one survivor had been recovered following the sinking, but that those numbers were provisional as the search continued.

Later Sunday, however, the Senegalese Press Agency (APS) said the toll now stood at 34 at least, a figure confirmed by Action for Human Rights and Friendship (ADHA) in a statement to AFP.