A minimum of seven people have died and a significant number are lost in the wake of a craft transporting approximately 200 people trying to get to the European continent capsized in waters near Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach the EU.
Close to 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in the year 2024 and data indicates over nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes used by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, often on perilous trips over water and land.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with several North African countries with the goal of curtailing undocumented migration.
