A minimum of seven people have perished and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat transporting about two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe sank near the shoreline of Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in the year 2024 and data indicates over nine thousand individuals have lost their lives in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a search operation, involving several naval vessels and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who drowned have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with several North African countries aimed at reducing undocumented migration.
