No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat transporting about two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores capsized near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 migrants have died trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants attempting to enter the EU, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Recently, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of North African countries aimed at reducing irregular migration.
