2020 Senegal shipwreck
Marker: recorded wreck position (Date not recorded).
Key facts
| Name | 2020 Senegal shipwreck | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Ship type | shipwreck | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Cause of loss | Fire or explosion | Keyword match in English Wikipedia lead sentence |
| Nearest coast | Senegal | Natural Earth (public domain) |
| Position | 14.4080, -16.9780 | Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0) |
About the wreck
On 29 October 2020, a ship which set off from the Senegalese fishing town of M'Bour caught fire and capsized while taking migrants to Spain's Canary Islands. Around 140 people died, and around 60 survivors were saved by the Senegalese and Spanish navies, and civilian fishermen. The International Organization for Migration said it was the deadliest shipwreck of the year.
The wreck came during an uptick in the number of African migrants attempting to reach the European Union by sea to the Canary Islands. Reasons include difficulty of international land travel in Africa due to COVID-19 restrictions, and increased security measures in north Africa; the journey is considerably longer and more hazardous than over the Mediterranean.
Senegal's youth blamed the wreck on the inability of their government to create jobs in their country.
Location
- Recorded position: 14.4080, -16.9780 (Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0); may be approximate)
- Nearest coast: Senegal
Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article 2020 Senegal shipwreck (revision 1318726175), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.
Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby wrecks
Browse more: Africa wrecks · wrecks off Senegal