No fewer than seven souls have died and a significant number are missing following a vessel ferrying about 200 people seeking to enter Europe overturned in waters near Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 migrants perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven victims who died were found, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a frequent corridor used by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with a number of North African nations with the goal of reducing undocumented migration.
