7 dead, dozens missing after migrant boat capsizes off Gambia

BANJUL: At least seven people have died, and dozens remain missing after a boat carrying more than 200 passengers capsized along a major migration route off the Gambian coast, Al Jazeera cited local authorities as saying.

The Gambian Ministry of Defence stated that the vessel capsized around midnight on Thursday near a village in the North Bank region. Authorities reported that seven bodies have been recovered, and at least 96 people were rescued, many suffering serious injuries, Al Jazeera reported.

The Gambian navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation after midnight, deploying multiple naval vessels along with a fishing boat that came to assist, the Ministry of Defence said. The capsized vessel was later located “grounded on a sandbank,” the statement added. Several of the victims are confirmed to be non-Gambian, and authorities are working to verify their identities, Al Jazeera reported.

Press Release: Incident of a capsized boat carrying irregular migrants pic.twitter.com/vA1g9vYurc

— Ministry of Information – The Gambia (@Info_Ministry_) January 1, 2026

The Gambia has become a key departure point for migrants and asylum seekers attempting to reach Spain’s Canary Islands, a main entry to continental Europe, by boat from West Africa. According to the European Union, over 46,000 migrants arrived in the Canary Islands in 2024.

More than 10,000 people died trying to make the journey across the Atlantic, marking a 58 per cent increase compared to 2023, rights group Caminando Fronteras reported, Al Jazeera reported.

However, irregular migration from West Africa to the EU fell by 60 per cent in the first 11 months of 2025, Al Jazeera reported, citing the Frontex border agency, attributing the decline to stronger preventive measures by countries of departure.

Despite the risks, migrants and asylum seekers continue attempting the journey to Europe on fragile and often overcrowded boats. In May last year, a small vessel carrying over 100 people capsized near the Canary Islands, resulting in the deaths of seven women and girls, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)