At least seven dead, dozens missing as migrant boat capsizes off The Gambia

Gambian authorities accidental 96 radical rescued aft vessel capsizes on fashionable West African migration route.

At slightest 7 radical person died aft a vessel carrying much than 200 radical capsized on a popular migration route disconnected the Gambian coast, with dozens much believed to beryllium missing, section authorities say.

The vessel was reported to person capsized astir midnight connected Thursday successful the vicinity of a colony successful The Gambia’s North Bank region, the Ministry of Defence said successful a statement.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3Boat capsizes connected accomplishment astatine Spain’s Canary Islands; 7 women, girls die
• list 2 of 3‘I’ll spell back’, accidental African migrants deported successful run by Mauritania
• list 3 of 3Seven migrants dice erstwhile vessel capsizes astatine Canary Island dock

Authorities said 7 bodies were recovered, and astatine slightest 96 radical were rescued, galore of whom were earnestly wounded.

Alerted by a distress call, the Gambian navy launched a search-and-rescue cognition aft midnight, involving respective naval vessels and a sportfishing vessel that came to assist, according to the statement.

The shipwrecked vas was aboriginal recovered “grounded into a sandbank”, the Defence Ministry said.

Several of the victims person been identified arsenic not being of Gambian nationality, and the authorities are presently verifying their identity, the connection added.

The Gambia has go a jumping-off constituent for migrants and asylum seekers seeking to scope Spain’s Canary Islands, a gateway to continental Europe, by vessel from West Africa.

According to the European Union, more than 46,000 migrants reached the Canary Islands successful 2024.

More than 10,000 radical died attempting the travel crossed the Atlantic, a 58 percent summation implicit 2023, according to the rights radical Caminando Fronteras.

However, irregular migration into the EU on the West African way fell 60 percent during the archetypal 11 months of 2025, according to the Frontex borderline agency, which credited stronger prevention efforts by departure countries for the drop.

Still, migrants and asylum seekers proceed to effort to scope Europe connected flimsy and often overcrowded vessels.

In May, 7 women and girls died erstwhile a tiny vessel transporting much than 100 radical capsized portion approaching the Canary Islands.