A minimum of seven individuals have perished and numerous others are missing in the wake of a craft ferrying approximately 200 people trying to get to the European continent overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night near Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Almost 47,000 people made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates over 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a search operation, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims 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 said to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a common pathway utilized by migrants seeking to get to European countries, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European Union has reached agreements with several Maghreb states with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
