A minimum of seven individuals have perished and a significant number are missing in the wake of a craft ferrying approximately two hundred people seeking to enter Europe overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 migrants have died during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces launched a search operation, using multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven people who perished at sea have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a frequent corridor taken by asylum seekers attempting to enter European countries, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple Maghreb states designed to limiting irregular migration.
