At least seven individuals lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a craft transporting around 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores overturned off the coast of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the sunken boat that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa trying to reach European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 migrants have died trying.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces launched a rescue mission, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry said.
Authorities say some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven people who died have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway utilized by migrants seeking to get to Europe, often on dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states designed to reducing undocumented migration.
