At least 56 migrants died in a series of shipwrecks off Senegal and Greece over the weekend, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday, 9 November 2026.
Off north-western Senegal, at least 34 people died on Friday, 6 November, when a boat carrying migrants capsized near Loumpoul, between Dakar and Saint-Louis. One survivor was rescued, an unknown number remain missing, and search operations are continuing. The death toll remains provisional.
South of Crete, Greece, at least 22 people died in two separate incidents after boats that had departed from eastern Libya got into distress. 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.
IOM Director-General Amy Pope said: “These were mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, people who left home hoping for a better life… Smugglers and traffickers charged them for a dangerous journey on boats that were not fit for the sea.”
IOM has recorded at least 454 deaths and disappearances in 2026 as of 26 October on the Western African Atlantic Route alone, and says the figures are minimum estimates because many boats disappear without survivors or trace.
IOM called for coordinated search and rescue, stronger action against smuggling networks and expanded safe, regular migration pathways.
Source: International Organization for Migration (via ReliefWeb)
