No fewer than seven individuals have perished and many others are lost after a craft carrying around two hundred migrants attempting to reach European shores sank near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night near Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers trying to reach European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and estimates over 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy began a rescue mission, using multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military reported.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants seeking to get to Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with several North African nations designed to limiting undocumented migration.
