No fewer than seven individuals have died and numerous others are lost after a craft transporting approximately two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe sank off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers seeking entry into the EU.
Almost 47,000 people made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and estimates over nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven people who died have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway utilized by migrants seeking to get to Europe, typically through perilous trips over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple North African nations designed to curtailing illegal migration.
