A cayuco with migrants docked this Tuesday on the beach of Ouakam, in the Senegalese capital of Dakar, after the captain abandoned the passengers at sea before reaching the coast.
The occupants were escorted by small boats and Senegalese Navy personnel to the shore, where a large Gendarmerie deployment was already waiting to take charge of the situation, local media reported.
Law enforcement deployed identity checks and security operations immediately after the group's arrival.
So far, the authorities have not specified the exact number of migrants or their health status, although the group may consist of several hundred people. Verifications are still ongoing to establish their identity and origin.
The situation occurs amidst an increase in attempts to cross the sea to Europe from the Atlantic coast of West Africa, where Senegal is one of the main departure points.
On August 30, some 70 people drowned after a boat sank that had allegedly departed from Gambia with about 150 migrants and sank off the coast of Mauritania while heading to the Canary Islands.
That boat, which was carrying Gambian and Senegalese citizens, probably departed from Sami Koto (northern Gambia) and sank the next day off Lemhaisrat, a fishing village west of the Mauritanian capital.
One of the deadliest routes in the world
The migratory route from the African coast to the Canary Islands, known as the "Atlantic route", is considered one of the most dangerous in the world, with thousands of deaths each year.
In 2024, 46,843 migrants arrived in Spain via this route, while 9,757 died in the attempt, according to the Spanish organization Caminando Fronteras.