A minimum of seven people lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a boat transporting around 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to the EU.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates more than 9,000 migrants have lost their lives during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, the navy launched a rescue mission, using multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway utilized by migrants seeking to get to Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European Union has reached agreements with multiple North African countries designed to curtailing illegal migration.
