Thioupam beach was the scene of another tragedy involving illegal emigration on the night of April 28-29, 2026. A boat in distress ran aground there, leaving behind a heavy human toll and dozens of survivors in the hands of the gendarmerie, according to Seneweb sources.

A trip to Spain that turns into a nightmare

Departing from Kafountine on Sunday, April 26th, with 70 passengers on board, the pirogue was heading for the Spanish coast. However, hope quickly turned to terror. At sea, engine failure plunged the crew and passengers into "total panic." Faced with the imminent threat of shipwreck, the five captains of the vessel decided to turn back and attempt a forced beaching.

It was around 12:40 a.m. on Thioupam beach that the boat came to a stop. In a panic, the migrants rushed into the Popenguine nature reserve to try to escape the security forces.

The outcome: one victim and mass arrests

Alerted, officers from the Popenguine Territorial Brigade, under the Mbour Gendarmerie Company, were immediately deployed to the scene. The search resulted in the arrest of 44 candidates, including:

• 23 Senegalese;

• 12 Guineans;

• 9 Gambians.

The tragedy took a dramatic turn with the discovery of the lifeless body of a woman, not yet identified, on the shore. Her remains were transported to the morgue by firefighters.

The "death" business: between 350,000 and 600,000 FCFA per ticket

During the hearings, the survivors revealed the financial aspect of this perilous expedition. Each candidate reportedly paid between 350,000 and 600,000 CFA francs.

Paradoxically, none of the passengers were able to provide the precise identity or contact details of the organizers, illustrating the opacity of these smuggling networks.

At the site of the grounding, the police seized a significant amount of logistical equipment:

• 2 canoe engines;

• 3,560 litres of gasoline (distributed in 110 jerrycans).

An investigation has been officially opened by the gendarmerie to identify the couriers and shed light on the exact circumstances of this tragedy.