A minimum of seven individuals have perished and many others are lost in the wake of a craft transporting around two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores sank off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and data indicates over nine thousand individuals have lost their lives in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, using a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the military said.
Officials state some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who drowned have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway used by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European Union has forged deals with several North African countries designed to limiting illegal migration.
