At least seven souls have died and many others are lost following a vessel transporting approximately 200 people seeking to enter European shores capsized in waters near Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were aboard the capsized craft that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 migrants have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a rescue mission, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, often on perilous trips over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has forged deals with multiple North African nations aimed at reducing undocumented migration.
