A minimum of seven individuals have died and many others are missing after a craft ferrying approximately 200 migrants seeking to enter Europe capsized in waters near the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Almost 47,000 people reached the Canaries in the year 2024 and estimates more than nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who perished at sea have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants attempting to enter European countries, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has forged deals with multiple North African nations designed to reducing illegal migration.
