Seven dead and dozens missing after boat bound for Canary Islands in Gambia capsizes

At least seven people are dead and many others are missing after a boat carrying around 200 migrants trying to reach Europe capsized off the Gambian coast, authorities say.

The boat overturned at midnight on Wednesday near the village of Jinack, in the North Bank region, and was later found “stranded on a sandbar”, the country’s defense ministry said in a statement.

Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and the search continues for other passengers who were on board the wrecked ship heading to Spain’s Canary Islands.

The perilous journey across the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants trying to reach Europe.

Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in 2024 and the Spanish non-governmental organization Caminando Fronteras estimates that more than 9,000 migrants have died trying.

Following Wednesday’s accident, the Gambian navy launched a search and rescue operation, involving several military ships and a fishing boat coming to the rescue, the defense ministry said.

Authorities say several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and their identities are still being verified.

The bodies of the seven people who drowned have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and receiving emergency medical treatment.

The Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants trying to reach Europe, often in dangerous journeys by sea and land.

In recent years, the European Union has concluded agreements with several North African countries aimed at reducing irregular migration.