101 migrants rescued after boat catches fire off Gambia coast

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An abandoned migrant boat fitted with improvised life rings drifts in the Mediterranean Sea after making the crossing from North Africa to Italy’s island of Lampedusa. /VCG

The Gambian authorities rescued 101 migrants after a fire broke out aboard their boat off the coast near Sika and Albreda on Saturday.

Several agencies took part in the rescue operation, including immigration officers, the Gambia Red Cross Society, fire and rescue services, and the navy.

Among those rescued were 72 Senegalese, 27 Gambians and two Guineans. Five of the migrants were minors, and all were male, according to a statement from the Gambia Immigration Department (GID).

At the time the statement was issued, 14 of those rescued were receiving treatment at Essau Health Center, while two others had been treated and discharged from Albreda Health Center and were assisting investigators, the GID said.

The statement did not specify the cause of the fire.

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