BANJUL, Jan 1 (Reuters) – Seven bodies were recovered and 96 people were rescued after a boat transporting migrants capsized overnight, Gambia’s defence ministry said on Thursday.
The vessel was “allegedly carrying over 200 migrants”, the ministry said in a statement, adding that 10 of the rescued migrants were in critical condition and receiving urgent medical attention.
The Atlantic migration route from the coast of West Africa to the Canary Islands, typically used by African migrants trying to reach Spain, is one of the world’s deadliest.
More than 46,000 irregular migrants reached the Canary Islands in 2024, a record, according to the European Union. More than 10,000 died attempting the journey, a 58% increase over 2023, according to the rights group Caminando Fronteras.
At least 70 people were killed in August 2025 when a boat believed to have departed from Gambia carrying migrants capsized, in one of the deadliest accidents in recent years.
(Reporting by Pap Saine; Writing by Ayen Deng Bior; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet)
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