No fewer than seven individuals have died and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a craft ferrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter the European continent sank off the coast of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa seeking entry into the EU.
Almost 47,000 people made it to the Canaries in 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 people have died in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants seeking to get to Europe, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of limiting illegal migration.
