A minimum of seven souls have perished and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat ferrying approximately two hundred migrants attempting to reach the European continent capsized off the coast of Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants seeking entry into the EU.
Almost 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and estimates over 9,000 migrants perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants seeking to get to European countries, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has forged deals with multiple North African countries with the goal of curtailing illegal migration.
