A minimum of seven individuals have perished and a significant number remain unaccounted for following a vessel transporting around two hundred migrants seeking to enter Europe overturned off the coast of The Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers seeking entry into the EU.
Close to 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 migrants have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy began a rescue mission, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials confirmed.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died were found, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with multiple North African countries with the goal of reducing illegal migration.
