No fewer than seven people have died and a significant number are missing in the wake of a vessel carrying approximately two hundred people seeking to enter European shores sank near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers seeking entry into the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and estimates more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that offered help, the defence ministry said.
Authorities say several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven victims who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants attempting to enter European countries, typically through hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African countries designed to limiting undocumented migration.
