No fewer than seven people have perished and numerous others are missing after a craft transporting about two hundred people seeking to enter European shores overturned in waters near Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 people have died in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven victims who died have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages over water and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple Maghreb states designed to limiting irregular migration.
