At least seven people lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat transporting around two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent overturned near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 migrants have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who died were found, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants attempting to enter European countries, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European bloc has forged deals with a number of Maghreb states aimed at reducing illegal migration.
