At least seven souls have died and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a craft ferrying about two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent capsized off the coast of The Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa trying to reach European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a search operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a common pathway utilized by migrants attempting to enter Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has reached agreements with several Maghreb states designed to reducing undocumented migration.
