A minimum of seven individuals have died and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a craft carrying approximately 200 people seeking to enter the European continent sank in waters near The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Authorities say a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has reached agreements with multiple Maghreb states aimed at reducing illegal migration.
