At least seven people have perished and a significant number are lost in the wake of a boat ferrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores sank in waters near Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for those still missing who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to the EU.
Almost 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in the year 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 migrants have died in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Reports indicate several of the victims 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 said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes used by asylum seekers attempting to enter Europe, frequently via perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with several Maghreb states with the goal of limiting irregular migration.
