No fewer than seven individuals have died and many others are lost in the wake of a craft ferrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter Europe overturned in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to Europe.
Almost 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and data indicates more than 9,000 migrants have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a search operation, involving several naval vessels and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the military confirmed.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a common pathway used by migrants seeking to get to the EU, often on perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with multiple North African nations with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
