A minimum of seven individuals have died and many others remain unaccounted for following a boat transporting approximately 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe overturned in waters near Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night close to the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 migrants have lost their lives during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces launched a rescue mission, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple Maghreb states designed to limiting undocumented migration.
