No fewer than seven people lost their lives and a significant number are missing after a boat ferrying around two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores capsized in waters near the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and estimates over 9,000 migrants have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants seeking to get to Europe, typically through hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of North African nations with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
