At least seven individuals have died and a significant number are missing following a vessel carrying around two hundred people trying to get to the European continent capsized off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Almost 47,000 people made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and estimates over nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a fishing boat that offered help, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven individuals who died have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has reached agreements with several Maghreb states with the goal of curtailing irregular migration.