A minimum of seven individuals lost their lives and a significant number are missing following a craft transporting about two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores overturned in waters near the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night close to Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to the EU.
Almost 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people have died in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven people who died were found, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants seeking to get to European countries, often on dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with multiple North African nations with the goal of curtailing undocumented migration.
