A minimum of seven souls have died and many others are missing in the wake of a boat ferrying about two hundred migrants seeking to enter Europe capsized off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to 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 were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to Europe.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defense officials reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a common pathway used by asylum seekers attempting to enter European countries, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Recently, the European bloc has forged deals with a number of Maghreb states designed to limiting illegal migration.
