No fewer than seven souls have perished and a significant number are missing following a vessel carrying about two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent sank near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates over 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who died have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants trying to reach European countries, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
In recent years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple North African countries with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
