At least seven individuals lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel carrying around 200 migrants trying to get to European shores capsized off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Close to 47,000 individuals made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a rescue mission, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who died were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants attempting to enter Europe, often on dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Recently, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple North African countries designed to reducing illegal migration.
