A minimum of seven souls lost their lives and a significant number are missing after a craft transporting about two hundred migrants attempting to reach European shores overturned near the shoreline of Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa attempting to get to Europe.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in 2024 and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defense officials reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven people who died were found, and ten of the survivors are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway taken by migrants trying to reach Europe, frequently via perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states aimed at reducing illegal migration.
