No fewer than seven individuals have perished and many others are missing following a boat transporting about 200 people attempting to reach Europe overturned off the coast of Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night close to Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 people have died in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search-and-rescue operation, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the military reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants attempting to enter Europe, frequently via dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the European Union has established pacts with several Maghreb states aimed at curtailing irregular migration.
