No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel ferrying around two hundred people trying to get to Europe sank near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Canaries in 2024 and estimates over nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing boat that offered help, the defense officials confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned were found, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is one of the routes taken by migrants attempting to enter the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with several North African countries with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
