At least seven souls have perished and many others are lost following a boat transporting around two hundred people attempting to reach the European continent capsized off the coast of Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that offered help, the military reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven individuals who died have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants seeking to get to the EU, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with a number of Maghreb states aimed at curtailing illegal migration.
