At least seven individuals have perished and a significant number are missing following a craft transporting around 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores overturned in waters near The Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for other passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Close to 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates over 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Authorities say 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 perished at sea have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor used by asylum seekers trying to reach European countries, often on perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with multiple North African nations designed to reducing illegal migration.
