At least seven individuals have perished and many others remain unaccounted for following a vessel ferrying approximately 200 people seeking to enter European shores sank near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a search is continuing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defense officials confirmed.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers attempting to enter the EU, typically through dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Recently, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African countries with the goal of reducing illegal migration.
