A minimum of seven souls lost their lives and many others are missing in the wake of a vessel carrying about 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe sank near the shoreline of Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night near Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the sunken boat that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Close to 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a rescue mission, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers trying to reach European countries, often on dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with several Maghreb states aimed at limiting illegal migration.
