No fewer than seven individuals have died and numerous others are lost following a craft ferrying around 200 migrants attempting to reach European shores capsized off the coast of Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 migrants have lost their lives during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is one of the routes used by migrants trying to reach the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages over water and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African nations designed to limiting illegal migration.
