A minimum of seven people have perished and many others are missing following a vessel transporting about 200 people seeking to enter Europe overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village 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 saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in 2024 and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 migrants perished during the journey.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy launched a rescue mission, involving a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven victims who died have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is one of the routes used by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the EU has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states designed to limiting irregular migration.
