No fewer than seven people lost their lives and numerous others are missing in the wake of a vessel ferrying approximately 200 migrants trying to get to European shores overturned off the coast of The Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach the EU.
Almost 47,000 individuals made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and estimates more than nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials reported.
Authorities say several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants trying to reach the EU, often on hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with a number of North African nations with the goal of curtailing irregular migration.
