No fewer than seven people lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat ferrying approximately two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and estimates over 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a rescue mission, using several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven individuals who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a common pathway utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, often on dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has reached agreements with several North African countries with the goal of curtailing undocumented migration.
