At least seven souls have perished and numerous others are missing following a craft carrying about two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores sank off the coast of Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night close to Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa seeking entry into the EU.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canaries in the year 2024 and data indicates more than 9,000 migrants have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is one of the routes used by asylum seekers attempting to enter Europe, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
