A minimum of seven souls have perished and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a boat carrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores sank in waters near The Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were traveling on the sunken boat that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa seeking entry into the EU.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military reported.
Authorities say several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants trying to reach Europe, typically through hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with several Maghreb states designed to limiting irregular migration.
