A minimum of seven individuals lost their lives and numerous others are lost following a boat transporting about 200 migrants seeking to enter the European continent sank near the shoreline of Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight close to the village 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 the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 migrants have died during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the military reported.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who died were found, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states designed to curtailing undocumented migration.
