A minimum of seven people have died and many others are missing following a craft transporting approximately two hundred people trying to get to European shores overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Close to 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 migrants have died during the journey.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military reported.
Authorities say a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died were found, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a frequent corridor used by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, often on perilous trips by sea and land.
Recently, the European bloc has forged deals with several Maghreb states with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
