At least seven souls have perished and a significant number remain unaccounted for in the wake of a craft transporting around two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores sank in waters near Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Nearly 47,000 individuals arrived at the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals have lost their lives in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces launched a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by migrants seeking to get to Europe, often on perilous trips over water and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has established pacts with several Maghreb states designed to limiting undocumented migration.
