A minimum of seven souls lost their lives and a significant number are missing after a vessel ferrying around two hundred people trying to get to European shores capsized near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach European nations.
Close to 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and estimates over 9,000 people have lost their lives in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy began a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway used by asylum seekers attempting to enter the EU, often on perilous trips by sea and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has forged deals with several Maghreb states aimed at curtailing undocumented migration.
