Overview
- The vessel capsized around midnight near a village in the North Bank region and was later found grounded on a sandbank, the defence ministry said.
- Officials say the boat may have carried more than 200 people, and several victims have been identified as non-Gambian with identities under verification.
- Rescuers deployed three naval speedboats and a coastal patrol vessel, and a local fishing canoe volunteered assistance during the operation.
- Ten of the 96 survivors are in critical condition and are receiving urgent medical care as search-and-recovery efforts continue.
- The incident comes on a route where the EU recorded more than 46,000 arrivals to the Canary Islands in 2024 and rights groups reported over 10,000 deaths, even as Frontex noted a 60% drop in West African crossings in the first 11 months of 2025.