Spanish rescuers have recovered 44 survivors and five bodies from a drifting migrant vessel about 120 kilometers southwest of Gran Canaria, after the boat spent 27 days stranded in the Atlantic. Advocacy groups say the wooden craft left The Gambia in early August with 127 people on board, meaning as many as 83 passengers — including an infant — are feared dead.
Three of the survivors were taken to hospital in critical condition. The interception underscores the extreme risks of the irregular Atlantic route known in The Gambia as the Backway, which thousands of West African migrants attempt each year in overcrowded boats bound for the Canary Islands or, in some cases, onward destinations in Europe.
Fear and confusion have gripped the rural settlement of Niamina Jarreng after 22 young people from the same community left on 7 August and have not been heard from since. Relatives believe they boarded a vessel that departed Banjul. More than three weeks later, families say they have received no confirmed news of their whereabouts.
Community member Yaya Beyai, whose relatives are among those missing, said households have spent nights making unanswered calls, chasing rumors and waiting for official information. On 29 August, concerned families issued a missing-persons notification listing 22 people: Ebou Touray, Bakary Cheesy, Lamin Darboe, Ba Sarjo Gassama, Sheriffo Nyabally, Pabi Manneh, Sarjo Bayo, Bading Bayo, Lamin Manneh, Bahla Njie, Muhammed, Burama Nyagado, Buba Salah, Mamadou Barry, Abdoulie Binta, Alia Jallow, Saidou Feta, Omar Penda, Babanding Manku, Meiro Jallow, Ebrima Sey and Alasan Leigh.
The notice said the suspected boat left Banjul with about 127 people. Public reports later described the vessel as missing before Spanish maritime services intercepted a drifting craft matching that account. Community members stress there is still no verified information confirming how many of the 22 from Niamina Jarreng are among the dead, the rescued, or those whose fate remains unknown. Families are calling for reliable identification of survivors and the deceased so relatives can end the uncertainty.
