A minimum of seven souls have perished and a significant number remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel transporting around two hundred people attempting to reach the European continent overturned in waters near The Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into the EU.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces launched a search operation, deploying several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the military reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway used by migrants seeking to get to Europe, typically through hazardous voyages over water and land.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of North African nations designed to limiting undocumented migration.
