At least seven souls lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for in the wake of a craft carrying about 200 people seeking to enter Europe sank off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the sunken boat that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to Europe.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy began a rescue mission, using a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway utilized by migrants trying to reach European countries, typically through hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Recently, the European Union has reached agreements with several North African countries aimed at curtailing undocumented migration.
