At least 35 people have died after a small boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of northwestern Senegal, emergency services confirmed.
An initial statement from the Senegalese interior ministry provisionally reported 21 bodies recovered and only a single survivor.
However, the official Senegalese Press Agency (APS) and rights group Action for Human Rights and Friendship (ADHA) said the death toll rose to at least 34 before reaching 35 by Sunday night.
"It's a provisional toll which has been changing since Friday," emergency services told AFP, whilst an interior ministry source warned that "the toll will unfortunately rise" as an "indeterminate number" of passengers remain missing.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye stated on Facebook that "all state authorities and resources have been mobilised to locate those who have gone missing, provide care for the survivors and support families."
Canary Islands route
Thousands of West Africans attempt the crossing towards Spain's Canary Islands each year.
On Friday, Senegalese authorities intercepted another pirogue carrying 142 people bound for Spain, including 23 women, two babies, and two other children from Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, and Nigeria.
The interior ministry reiterated "its determination to combat people smuggling networks, notably through strengthened cooperation with neighbouring countries."
On Saturday, authorities on the Canary Island of El Hierro declared an emergency following a spike in arrivals, with more than 3,300 people landing aboard approximately 30 boats since the start of November.
Stepped-up naval patrols off Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco have compelled smuggling networks to launch further south from The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Guinea, substantially extending the duration and danger of the ocean voyage.
