At least seven individuals have died and many others are lost after a vessel ferrying around 200 people trying to get to European shores sank near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants seeking entry into the EU.
Almost 47,000 people arrived at the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defence ministry reported.
Authorities say a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, typically through hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has reached agreements with multiple Maghreb states with the goal of reducing illegal migration.
