At least 34 killed as migrant boat sinks off Senegal

Senegal's APS news agency reported that 34 people have died and one was rescued after a pirogue carrying migrants sank off Kébémer, up from the interior ministry's earlier toll of at least 21 reported. The vessel sank off the coast of Kebemer, about 180 kilometers north of the capital, Dakar.  Senegal’s Interior Ministry on Sunday said authorities have recovered 21 bodies and rescued one survivor, so far. Search and rescue operations are ongoing, with teams mobilized to continue looking for additional survivors. The migrant boat headed from Africa to Europe. 
Authorities have not yet disclosed the total number of people on board. The incident highlights the dangers of the Atlantic migration route from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands, considered one of the world’s deadliest migration routes.  According to migrant rights group Walking Borders, at least 635 people lost their lives attempting the crossing in the first five months of this year. Thousands of people from West Africa try each year to reach Europe on the perilous Atlantic route. Senegalese authorities also said they had intercepted 142 migrants on Friday who were on a similar small boat aiming to reach Spain. 
Spanish authorities on the Canary Island of El Hierro declared an emergency on Saturday after a surge in migrant boat arrivals. Since the start of November, El Hierro authorities said more than 3,300 people had arrived aboard around 30 boats.
Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco have stepped up maritime patrols around departure points for small boats, forcing them to head further south towards the coasts of Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Guinea, which prolongs the duration of the already hazardous crossing.