A minimum of seven individuals have perished and numerous others are lost following a craft transporting around two hundred people attempting to reach European shores overturned in waters near The Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to European nations.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 people have lost their lives in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a rescue mission, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven people who drowned have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by migrants seeking to get to European countries, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European Union has established pacts with a number of North African countries with the goal of curtailing undocumented migration.
