At least seven souls have perished and numerous others are missing in the wake of a boat transporting around two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent capsized off the coast of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat 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 seeking entry into the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates over 9,000 migrants have lost their lives during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy began a rescue mission, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are said to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants trying to reach the EU, typically through hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has reached agreements with multiple North African countries designed to limiting undocumented migration.
