At least seven souls have perished and a significant number are missing following a craft ferrying approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores capsized near the shoreline of Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on 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 African asylum seekers seeking entry into the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 migrants have lost their lives in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a rescue mission, involving a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants seeking to get to the EU, frequently via perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of North African countries aimed at curtailing irregular migration.
