At least seven souls lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for after a vessel carrying about 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores capsized off the coast of Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Almost 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy began a rescue mission, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials reported.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants seeking to get to the EU, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has forged deals with a number of Maghreb states aimed at limiting undocumented migration.
