At least seven individuals have died and many others are lost in the wake of a vessel transporting approximately 200 people trying to get to European shores capsized near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and estimates over 9,000 migrants perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials said.
Officials state several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven victims who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants trying to reach the EU, often on dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has forged deals with several Maghreb states aimed at limiting undocumented migration.
