No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and many others are missing following a boat transporting approximately two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe capsized off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to the EU.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Canaries in the year 2024 and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 people perished trying.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a search operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven victims who died have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a common pathway used by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, frequently via perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has established pacts with multiple North African countries with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
