A minimum of seven individuals have died and a significant number are lost following a craft transporting about two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe sank off the coast of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night close to the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants seeking entry into European nations.
Close to 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates more than 9,000 people have died in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven victims who died were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway utilized by migrants seeking to get to the EU, frequently via perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of North African nations aimed at limiting illegal migration.
