No fewer than seven individuals have died and a significant number are lost following a vessel transporting around 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores sank in waters near Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and estimates in excess of nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a rescue mission, using multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, frequently via perilous trips over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with several Maghreb states with the goal of limiting irregular migration.
