No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and numerous others are missing in the wake of a boat transporting about 200 migrants seeking to enter the European continent capsized off the coast of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants seeking entry into the EU.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and estimates over nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy began a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers attempting to enter European countries, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple North African nations designed to curtailing undocumented migration.
