No fewer than seven people have perished and many others remain unaccounted for following a boat ferrying approximately two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent sank near the shoreline of Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers trying to reach European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Canaries in 2024 and figures suggest more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy began a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defense officials reported.
Authorities say some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway used by asylum seekers seeking to get to European countries, frequently via perilous trips by sea and land.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with a number of North African countries aimed at curtailing undocumented migration.
