At least seven individuals have died and numerous others remain unaccounted for after a craft transporting about 200 migrants trying to get to European shores overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Almost 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 people have died in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple North African nations with the goal of limiting irregular migration.
