No fewer than seven individuals have died and many others are missing after a boat carrying approximately two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe overturned in waters near The Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants seeking entry into Europe.
Almost 47,000 individuals made it to the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that offered help, the defence ministry said.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers attempting to enter European countries, typically through hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of North African nations aimed at curtailing irregular migration.
