31 Dead in New Year’s Migrant Boat Sinking Off Gamia

BANJUL, Xinhua: The death toll has reached 31 after an overloaded boat capsized off the coast of The Gambia on New Year’s Eve, the Gambia Immigration Department said Monday.

The boat, carrying about 200 undocumented migrants, set off late on Dec. 31 from The Gambia’s North Bank Region in an attempt to make an irregular journey toward Spain’s Canary Islands, the department said in a press release.

Shortly after its departure, the vessel reportedly struck an underwater sandbank and capsized. Upon receiving distress calls, the Gambian Navy launched search and rescue operations with the assistance of local fishing boats, it added.

As of Sunday, 15 bodies had been recovered in The Gambia and 16 in neighboring Senegal, with many others remaining missing and feared dead, the department said, adding that a total of 102 people were rescued, including 23 who are currently hospitalized.

Gambian President Adama Barrow has vowed to launch “a comprehensive investigation into the incident,” noting that those responsible would be held accountable in accordance with the law.