Seven Dead, Dozens Rescued After Migrant Boat Capsizes off Gambia

Seven Dead, Dozens Rescued After Migrant Boat Capsizes off Gambia
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Seven bodies were recovered and 96 people were rescued after a boat carrying migrants capsized overnight in northwestern Gambia, the country’s defence ministry said on Thursday, as reported by Reuters. Search and recovery operations were continuing amid fears the vessel may have been carrying more than 200 people.

The boat reportedly overturned around midnight near a village in Gambia’s North Bank region. Authorities later found the vessel grounded on a sandbank. Officials said the incident occurred along a perilous maritime route frequently used by West African migrants attempting to reach Spain via the Canary Islands.

Rescue efforts involved three naval speedboats, a coastal patrol vessel and a local fishing canoe whose crew volunteered to assist, according to the defence ministry. Ten of those rescued were in critical condition and receiving urgent medical treatment. The authorities did not disclose the nationalities of the migrants involved.

The incident highlights ongoing risks along the Atlantic migration route. More than 46,000 irregular migrants reached the Canary Islands in 2024, a record, while over 10,000 died attempting the journey, according to rights groups. Although migration along the route fell sharply in 2025, deadly incidents have continued.