Emergency crews and volunteers in Gambia searched for people missing after a boat carrying more than 200 migrants capsized off the coast of the West African nation on New Year’s Eve, Gambian President Adama Barrow said late Friday.
Barrow said at least 102 survivors were rescued and seven bodies were recovered from the boat that capsized near the village of Jinack in the North Bank region, in northwest Gambia.
In a state broadcast, Barrow said emergency services were joined by local fishermen and other volunteers in the search that took place days after the incident, which occurred near Jinack.
Barrow said the government activated the national emergency response plan and deployed resources to intensify efforts and provide assistance to the survivors. He also said some of the 102 survivors were undergoing urgent medical care.
As he condoled families, Barrow vowed a full investigation into what happened. He called the accident “painful reminder of the dangerous and life-threatening nature of irregular migration.”
Barrow said the government will strengthen efforts to prevent irregular migration and remains determined to create safer and more dignified opportunities for young people to fulfill their dreams.
It was not clear what led to the latest tragedy. Gambia’s Ministry of Defense said the boat was found “grounded on a sandbank.”
The AP report said thousands of Africans, desperate for better opportunities in Europe, risk their lives traveling on boats along the Atlantic coast—a route described as among the world’s deadliest migrant pathways connecting the West African coast across Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania.
AP also cited prior incidents in the region, including one in August 2025 when around 150 people were either dead or missing after a boat that came from Gambia capsized off the coast of Mauritania. It also referenced a similar incident in July 2024, when more than a dozen migrants were killed and 150 others were declared missing.