No fewer than seven people have died and many others are lost following a craft carrying about two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores capsized in waters near Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were aboard the capsized craft that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers trying to reach the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, using multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military confirmed.
Authorities say some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway utilized by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has reached agreements with several North African countries with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
