At least seven people lost their lives and a significant number are lost in the wake of a craft transporting approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter Europe overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals arrived at the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 people perished in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that offered help, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned were found, 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 migrants seeking to get to Europe, typically through hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with several North African nations designed to limiting illegal migration.
