At least seven people have perished and numerous others are missing following a vessel transporting approximately 200 people trying to get to the European continent capsized near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and estimates over nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway taken by migrants trying to reach the EU, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with multiple North African countries designed to reducing irregular migration.
