No fewer than seven souls have died and many others are missing following a vessel carrying about two hundred people trying to get to European shores capsized off the coast of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach European nations.
Close to 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 people have died trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is one of the routes used by migrants trying to reach the EU, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with multiple North African countries aimed at curtailing undocumented migration.
