At least seven individuals have perished and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel carrying approximately 200 migrants seeking to enter Europe overturned in waters near Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night near Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 people perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy launched a search operation, involving a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is one of the routes used by migrants seeking to get to the EU, typically through perilous trips over water and land.
Recently, the European Union has reached agreements with several North African nations with the goal of reducing undocumented migration.
