At least seven people have perished and a significant number are missing after a craft ferrying about two hundred migrants attempting to reach the European continent overturned in waters near The Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers trying to reach the EU.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates over nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defense officials confirmed.
Authorities say several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven victims who drowned have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants seeking to get to the EU, often on hazardous voyages over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple North African countries designed to curtailing illegal migration.
