No fewer than seven people lost their lives and numerous others are lost after a boat carrying about 200 migrants attempting to reach the European continent overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and data indicates over nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven victims who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is one of the routes used by migrants seeking to get to the EU, typically through dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has reached agreements with several North African nations designed to limiting illegal migration.
