No fewer than seven individuals have perished and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a vessel transporting around 200 people seeking to enter Europe overturned off the coast of The Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and estimates over 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned were found, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by migrants attempting to enter the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys over water and land.
Recently, the European Union has forged deals with several Maghreb states aimed at curtailing irregular migration.
