No fewer than seven individuals have perished and a significant number are lost after a boat carrying approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter Europe sank near the shoreline of The Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Close to 47,000 people made it to the Canary Islands in 2024 and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 migrants perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants seeking to get to European countries, frequently via hazardous voyages over water and land.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of North African nations designed to curtailing illegal migration.
