A minimum of seven souls have perished and many others are lost following a craft ferrying about two hundred migrants seeking to enter Europe sank off the coast of Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants trying to reach the EU.
Close to 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and estimates in excess of nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, involving several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military reported.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with several North African nations with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
