At least seven souls lost their lives and a significant number are lost after a craft carrying approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter Europe sank in waters near Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates over nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Authorities say a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven people who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway used by asylum seekers trying to reach European countries, frequently via perilous trips over water and land.
Recently, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of North African countries with the goal of curtailing illegal migration.
