At least seven souls lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for following a vessel transporting approximately two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe sank near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight near Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the sunken boat that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa attempting to get to the EU.
Nearly 47,000 individuals made it to the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a rescue mission, using multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven victims who died have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants attempting to enter the EU, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple North African nations designed to limiting irregular migration.
