At least seven individuals have perished and many others are lost after a vessel ferrying approximately two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent capsized in waters near Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a search operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military reported.
Officials state several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven victims who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants seeking to get to the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple North African nations with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
