No fewer than seven people lost their lives and a significant number are missing after a vessel carrying approximately 200 people attempting to reach the European continent overturned near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "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 other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Almost 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and data indicates over nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who drowned were found, 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 one of the routes used by migrants trying to reach Europe, often on dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with several North African countries aimed at curtailing irregular migration.
