No fewer than seven souls have died and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a craft transporting approximately two hundred people trying to get to European shores capsized off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people 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 Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 people perished during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, the navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military reported.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is one of the routes utilized by migrants seeking to get to Europe, typically through perilous trips by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has reached agreements with several North African nations aimed at reducing undocumented migration.
