No fewer than seven individuals have died and many others are missing after a vessel transporting about 200 migrants attempting to reach the European continent overturned in waters near Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, using multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants seeking to get to Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European bloc has forged deals with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of reducing undocumented migration.
