At least seven individuals lost their lives and a significant number are lost after a vessel carrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter Europe capsized near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa trying to reach the EU.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military reported.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants attempting to enter Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states with the goal of reducing illegal migration.
