At least seven people have perished and many others remain unaccounted for after a boat transporting about two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach the EU.
Close to 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and estimates in excess of nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the military said.
Authorities say some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers attempting to enter Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with several North African nations with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
