At least seven souls have perished and many others are lost following a vessel carrying about two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent capsized near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people have died trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a search operation, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Authorities say some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven people who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has forged deals with several North African nations designed to limiting undocumented migration.
