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The number of people killed after a migrant boat bound for Europe capsized off the coast of Gambia on New Year’s Eve has climbed to 39, according to two government officials who spoke to Reuters. Survivors described the vessel as “overcrowded and dilapidated”.
Last week, Gambia’s Defence Ministry had initially reported seven deaths and said more than 200 passengers were believed to have been on board at the time of the incident.
By Wednesday, 112 people had been rescued, according to Sima Lowe, public relations officer of Gambia’s Immigration Department, and a senior Defence Ministry official who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
The sea route used by West African migrants attempting to reach Spain through the Canary Islands remains one of the deadliest migration corridors in the world.
Survivors, who spoke after being discharged from the hospital in Gambia this week, said the boat had been heading to Europe. Their accounts shed light on the dangers faced by migrants fleeing poverty, joblessness and limited prospects in their home countries.
Of the 39 fatalities recorded so far, 24 bodies were recovered in Gambian waters, while 15 were found in neighbouring Senegal, the defence official confirmed.
Those on board came from several West African countries, including Gambia, Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone, the official added.
