At least seven people have perished and a significant number are missing after a vessel carrying about two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores capsized in waters near The Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date 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 dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Almost 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy launched a rescue mission, using several naval vessels and a fishing boat that offered help, the military said.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants trying to reach the EU, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states aimed at limiting illegal migration.
