No fewer than seven people have perished and a significant number are missing in the wake of a boat ferrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter Europe capsized near the shoreline of Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy began a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven victims who died were found, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a frequent corridor used by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states designed to curtailing irregular migration.
