A minimum of seven souls have died and numerous others remain unaccounted for following a boat carrying approximately two hundred migrants attempting to reach European shores sank in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers seeking entry into the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals have lost their lives during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces launched a search-and-rescue operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military said.
Officials state some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers attempting to enter the EU, typically through hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Recently, the European Union has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states designed to curtailing undocumented migration.
