At least seven individuals have died and many others remain unaccounted for following a boat transporting about two hundred migrants seeking to enter Europe overturned off the coast of The Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers attempting to get to the EU.
Almost 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and estimates over nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a fishing boat that offered help, the defense officials reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants seeking to get to European countries, frequently via hazardous voyages over water and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has established pacts with multiple North African countries aimed at limiting irregular migration.
