No fewer than seven individuals have died and a significant number are missing following a boat carrying approximately two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent sank off the coast of The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers trying to reach the EU.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, the navy launched a rescue mission, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the military confirmed.
Authorities say some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are described as being in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers attempting to enter European countries, typically through perilous trips by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of limiting illegal migration.
