At least seven souls have perished and many others are missing following a craft carrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores sank in waters near Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 people perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven individuals who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European Union has forged deals with a number of North African countries designed to limiting irregular migration.
