At least seven individuals have perished and many others are missing following a vessel transporting around two hundred people trying to get to Europe sank in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and estimates over 9,000 people perished during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy began a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the military reported.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who died were found, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is one of the routes used by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, typically through hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple Maghreb states with the goal of reducing illegal migration.
