No fewer than seven people have perished and numerous others are lost after a craft transporting about two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe capsized near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 migrants have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy launched a search operation, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military confirmed.
Officials state a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven victims who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway utilized by migrants attempting to enter the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
In recent years, the European Union has forged deals with a number of North African countries aimed at curtailing illegal migration.
