At least seven individuals lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for following a boat ferrying approximately two hundred people seeking to enter the European continent overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Close to 47,000 individuals reached the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a rescue mission, using a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military reported.
Authorities say some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are said to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants attempting to enter the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of North African countries designed to curtailing illegal migration.
