No fewer than seven individuals have perished and numerous others are missing following a craft transporting about 200 migrants attempting to reach the European continent overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives during the journey.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing boat that offered help, the military confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, frequently via perilous trips by sea and land.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with several North African nations with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
