Pap Sein
BANJUL, Jan 8 (Reuters) – The death toll from a boat carrying migrants bound for Europe capsized off the Gambian coast on New Year’s Eve has risen to 39, with survivors describing the ship as “overcrowded and dilapidated”, two government officials told Reuters.
The Gambia’s 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, Sima Lowe, a public relations officer at the Gambia’s Ministry of Immigration and a senior official at the Ministry of Defense, said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The migration route of West Africans trying to reach Spain through the Canary Islands is one of the deadliest in the world.
A survivor discharged from a Gambian hospital this week told Reuters the ship had been heading to Europe.
Their stories highlight the risks and challenges faced by would-be migrants from West Africa, often fleeing poverty, unemployment and lack of opportunity in their home countries.
“Despair due to poverty and lack of prospects at home drove me to risk my life in search of better opportunities in Europe,” said Sadibou Fatty, who described the journey as “painful”.
“I survived this tragedy but lost friends and other passengers,” he said, adding that unlike many others on the ship, he knew how to swim.
Defense Ministry officials said that of the 39 dead, 24 were found in Gambia and 15 in Senegal.
The official said the passengers on board included citizens of Gambia, Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone.
“My friends in Europe inspired me to take the ‘turn back’ route,” said Kajali Camara, another survivor, referring to the irregular migration route by small boats.
“They were raising their families at home, and I wanted a better life,” he said.
The Gambian government says it will intercept more than 2,700 potential migrants in 2025.
According to data from EU border agency Frontex, the number of irregular migrants entering the EU along the West African route fell by 60% in the first 11 months of 2025.
Frontex said the drop was mainly due to countries of departure stepping up preventive measures in cooperation with EU member states.
(Reporting by Pap Saine; Editing by Portia Crowe; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet, Alexandra Hudson)
