A minimum of seven souls have died and numerous others remain unaccounted for following a boat ferrying approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent sank in waters near the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight near Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for those still missing who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants trying to reach the EU.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 migrants have died in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces launched a search operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Authorities say a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea were found, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states aimed at limiting undocumented migration.
