At least seven people have perished and a significant number are lost following a craft transporting approximately 200 migrants trying to get to European shores overturned off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa attempting to get to the EU.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes used by asylum seekers attempting to enter Europe, often on dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African nations aimed at curtailing irregular migration.
