No fewer than seven people have perished and a significant number are missing following a boat ferrying about 200 migrants attempting to reach European shores capsized in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
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 the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates over nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a search operation, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military reported.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven individuals who died were found, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a frequent corridor used by migrants seeking to get to European countries, frequently via dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states aimed at limiting undocumented migration.
