At least seven individuals have perished and many others are lost after a craft ferrying about two hundred migrants seeking to enter Europe capsized in waters near the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 migrants have lost their lives in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials reported.
Reports indicate several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by asylum seekers attempting to enter the EU, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of North African countries with the goal of limiting illegal migration.
