Death Toll from Gambia Boat Overturn Tops Thirty
The boat, transporting approximately 200 undocumented migrants, departed late December 31 from The Gambia's North Bank Region in a desperate bid to reach Spain's Canary Islands through an irregular migration route, the department disclosed in an official press release.
Moments after leaving shore, the craft reportedly collided with a submerged sandbank and overturned. Following emergency distress signals, the Gambian Navy mobilized search and rescue missions supported by local fishing vessels, officials confirmed.
By Sunday's count, 15 bodies had been retrieved in The Gambia while 16 more were recovered across the border in neighboring Senegal, with numerous others still unaccounted for and presumed dead, the department stated, noting that rescue teams pulled 102 survivors from the waters, including 23 individuals currently receiving hospital treatment.
Gambian President Adama Barrow has pledged to initiate "a comprehensive investigation into the incident," emphasizing that individuals found responsible would face accountability under existing legal frameworks.
The tragedy underscores the escalating humanitarian crisis along the perilous Atlantic migration corridor, where thousands risk their lives annually seeking entry into Europe aboard dangerously overcrowded and unseaworthy vessels.
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