At least seven people have perished and a significant number are missing after a craft transporting around two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent sank off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to the EU.
Almost 47,000 people reached the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces launched a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers trying to reach European countries, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European bloc has forged deals with a number of North African countries aimed at curtailing undocumented migration.
