No fewer than seven people have perished and a significant number are missing following a boat carrying about two hundred people seeking to enter European shores sank off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were aboard the sunken boat that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Canaries in the year 2024 and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals have died in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy began a search-and-rescue operation, involving several naval vessels and a fishing boat that offered help, the military confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants seeking to get to European countries, frequently via hazardous voyages over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple North African countries designed to curtailing illegal migration.
