Thirty-nine dead in Gambia migrant boat sinking, officials say
By Pap Saine
BANJUL, January 8 (Reuters) – Two government officials told Reuters that the death toll has risen to 39 after a boat carrying migrants bound for Europe capsized off the coast of Gambia on New Year’s Eve, while survivors described the ship as “overcrowded and dilapidated”.
The Gambia defense ministry last week put the death toll at seven and said there may have been more than 200 people on board.
A total of 112 people had been rescued as of Wednesday, said Sima Lowe, public relations officer for the Gambia Immigration Service and a senior defense ministry official who asked not to be named because she was not authorized to speak to the press.
The migration route used by West Africans trying to reach Spain via the Canary Islands is one of the deadliest routes in the world.
Survivors interviewed by Reuters after being discharged from hospital in Gambia this week said the boat was headed for Europe.
Their stories highlight the risks and challenges faced by would-be immigrants from West Africa, who often flee poverty, unemployment and lack of opportunity in their home countries.
Describing the journey as “traumatic”, Sadibou Fatty said: “This desperation pushes me to risk my life and seek better opportunities in Europe due to poverty and lack of hope in my country.”
“I survived the tragedy, but I lost my friends and passengers,” he said, adding that, unlike many others on the ship, he could swim.
The defense official said that 24 of the 39 dead were rescued in Gambian territory and 15 in Senegalese territory.
The official said that among the passengers on the ship were citizens of Gambia, Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone.
“My friends in Europe inspired me to take the ‘back way’,” said Kajali Camara, another survivor, referring to irregular migration routes by small boats.
“They support their families at home, and I wanted a better life,” he said.
The Gambia government announced that more than 2,700 immigrants will be captured in 2025.
Irregular migration to the European Union via the West African route has fallen by 60% in the first 11 months of 2025, according to the EU’s border agency Frontex.
Frontex said this decline was largely due to stronger prevention efforts by exit countries working with EU member states.
(Reporting by Pap Saine; Editing by Portia Crowe; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet, Alexandra Hudson)
