At least seven people have perished and many others are lost in the wake of a craft carrying approximately two hundred people seeking to enter European shores sank near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals arrived at the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 migrants have lost their lives in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy began a search operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military confirmed.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants trying to reach the EU, typically through hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of North African nations with the goal of curtailing illegal migration.
