A minimum of seven people have died and a significant number remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel transporting about 200 migrants seeking to enter the European continent sank near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canaries in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 migrants perished during the journey.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned were found, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by migrants seeking to get to Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has reached agreements with multiple Maghreb states designed to limiting irregular migration.
