A minimum of seven people have perished and many others are missing after a vessel transporting about two hundred migrants attempting to reach the European continent overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people have died in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the military said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who died were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is one of the routes utilized by migrants trying to reach Europe, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has established pacts with several North African countries aimed at limiting irregular migration.
