IOM: at least 56 migrants die in weekend shipwrecks off Senegal and Greece

At least 56 people died in a series of shipwrecks off Senegal and Greece over the weekend, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday (9 November), calling the deaths a stark reminder of the deadly risks migrants face on the Atlantic and Mediterranean routes. At least 34 people died off Senegal and 22 in waters south of Crete; search operations are continuing and the toll remains provisional.

Boat capsizes off Senegal; AP puts the toll at 39

According to the IOM, at least 34 people died on Friday 6 November when a migrant boat capsized near Loumpoul, off north-western Senegal between Dakar and Saint-Louis. One survivor was rescued and an unknown number of people remain missing. The Associated Press reported on Monday that the discovery of more bodies had raised the Senegal toll to 39; the boat had left Saint-Louis in northern Senegal bound for the Spanish coast and overturned on Sunday near the town of Kébémer, north of Dakar. The route is a well-travelled one used by thousands of young Senegalese seeking a better life in Spain's Canary Islands.

Two incidents south of Crete kill 22

South of Crete, at least 22 people died in two separate incidents after boats that had departed from eastern Libya got into distress at sea. In one, Greek authorities rescued 28 Sudanese migrants and recovered eight bodies, with several people reported missing. In the other, 18 survivors were rescued and 14 bodies recovered after a cargo ship spotted the vessel in distress. The IOM said rising arrivals on the eastern Libya–Crete route this year, combined with gaps in search-and-rescue capacity, were heightening concerns over the risks people face on the journey.

At least 454 dead or missing on the Atlantic route this year

IOM Director General Amy Pope said: 'These were mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, people who left home hoping for a better life.' She called for stronger international action against human smuggling networks and expanded legal migration opportunities. The organisation said it had recorded at least 454 deaths and disappearances on the Western African Atlantic Route alone as of 26 October, stressing that these are minimum estimates because many boats disappear without survivors or trace.

Sources: International Organization for Migration, 9 November 2026; Associated Press, 9 November 2026; ReliefWeb, 9 November 2026.