BANJUL, Gambia: At least seven people have died and dozens are missing after a boat carrying migrants capsized overnight off the coast of Gambia, underscoring once again the deadly risks of the Atlantic migration route from West Africa to Europe.
According to a statement issued by the defence ministry in Banjul on Thursday, seven bodies were recovered while 96 people were rescued after the vessel overturned at sea. The boat was “allegedly carrying over 200 migrants,” the ministry said, raising fears that many passengers remain unaccounted for.
Officials said 10 of those rescued were in critical condition and were receiving urgent medical treatment. The statement did not provide details on the exact number of missing persons, noting that search and rescue operations were still ongoing.
The Atlantic route from the West African coast to the Canary Islands—a Spanish territory—is considered one of the world’s most dangerous migration corridors. Thousands of African migrants attempt the journey each year in overcrowded and often unseaworthy boats, hoping to reach Spain.
More than 46,000 irregular migrants arrived in the Canary Islands in 2024, the highest number ever recorded, according to the European Union. However, the surge in crossings has been accompanied by a sharp rise in fatalities. Rights group Caminando Fronteras estimates that more than 10,000 people died attempting the crossing in 2024, a 58 percent increase compared with the previous year.
The latest tragedy follows one of the deadliest recent incidents in August 2025, when at least 70 people were killed after a migrant boat believed to have departed from Gambia capsized in the Atlantic.
