A minimum of seven people lost their lives and numerous others are lost following a craft ferrying approximately 200 people attempting to reach the European continent sank near the shoreline of The Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night near Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were on board the capsized craft that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers attempting to get to the EU.
Close to 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 migrants perished during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a rescue mission, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defense officials reported.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway utilized by migrants seeking to get to Europe, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European bloc has established pacts with several North African countries designed to limiting illegal migration.
