WEST AFRICA – Dozens of people are feared missing and a desperate search is underway after a boat carrying migrants capsized in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, April 29, 2026. Rescue operations are ongoing. The incident occurred approximately 620 kilometers (385 miles) off the coast of West Africa. The exact number of missing persons remains unconfirmed due to the absence of a passenger manifest.
Details are still emerging about the catastrophic event that saw a vessel overturn with an unknown number of individuals on board. Initial reports indicate that the boat departed from Senegal over a month ago, with survivors eventually being rescued off the coast of Cape Verde. A Spanish migration advocacy group stated the vessel was a large fishing boat, known as a pirogue, that had left Senegal on July 10 with over 100 migrants aboard.
Emergency services, including marine police and local fishermen, have been mobilized to conduct search and rescue operations. Authorities have not yet confirmed the specific cause of the capsizing, but preliminary findings suggest potential factors such as overloading, traveling at night, and the vessel’s condition could have contributed. The perilous route connecting the West African coast to Europe via the Atlantic is known as one of the world’s deadliest migrant passages.
This incident is particularly significant given the ongoing challenges faced by migrants attempting dangerous sea crossings in search of better opportunities. Similar tragedies have occurred along this route. In August 2025, around 150 people were reported dead or missing after their boat, which also originated from Gambia, capsized off the coast of Mauritania. In July 2024, another incident claimed the lives of over a dozen migrants, with 150 others declared missing.
As of Wednesday, April 29, 2026, rescue teams are continuing their efforts to locate any survivors. The affected area is vast, and the search is being conducted in close coordination with various partners. The situation remains fluid, with officials working to gather more information about the exact number of people on board and the circumstances leading to the capsizing.
The Gambian President Adama Barrow confirmed that 102 survivors were rescued and seven bodies were recovered from a separate incident involving a boat bound for Europe that capsized off the Gambian coast on New Year’s Eve. In a different incident off the coast of Florida on April 13, 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued four people after a vessel capsized, but one person was found dead and five remained missing. In another event on April 29, 2024, 51 irregular migrants were reported missing after their boat sank off the Atlantic coast of West Africa, with Spanish Coast Guard rescuing nine survivors.
Authorities are urging relatives of anyone who may have been on board to contact the Kagadi Central Police Station with any information. Further updates are expected as the search and rescue operation progresses and investigations into the cause of the capsizing continue. The full implications of this tragedy are yet to be determined, and the focus remains on the immediate search and rescue efforts.
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