No fewer than seven people lost their lives and a significant number are lost after a craft transporting around two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores sank near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for those still missing who were on board the sunken boat that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Close to 47,000 people arrived at the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 migrants perished during the journey.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces launched a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the military said.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants seeking to get to the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of North African countries with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
