A minimum of seven souls have perished and a significant number are lost following a vessel carrying approximately 200 migrants trying to get to European shores sank near the shoreline of Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers trying to reach European nations.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Canaries in the year 2024 and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a search operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military said.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven individuals who died have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants trying to reach Europe, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European Union has established pacts with multiple North African nations with the goal of curtailing irregular migration.
