21 Dead as Migrant Boat Capsizes Off Senegal Coast

At least 21 people have died after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the northwestern coast of Senegal while attempting to reach Europe through the dangerous Atlantic route.

The Senegalese Interior Ministry confirmed the deaths in a statement, adding that only one survivor had been rescued as of late Saturday.

The ministry described the death toll as provisional, noting that search and rescue operations were still ongoing, while authorities were providing assistance to the victims' families.

According to local media reports, the boat capsized on Saturday near the Loumpoul dunes in the Kebemer department, between the capital, Dakar, and the northern city of Saint-Louis.

Senegalese newspaper, Le Soleil, reported that most of the victims were from the Leona and Thieppe districts within the same department.

The tragedy occurred as authorities announced the interception of 142 migrants, including women and children, travelling in another small boat in an attempt to reach Spain.

Thousands of migrants from West Africa have died in recent years while attempting to reach Europe through the perilous Atlantic route to Spain's Canary Islands.

The route remains one of the world's deadliest migration passages, with migrants often undertaking dangerous sea journeys in overcrowded and poorly equipped boats.