No fewer than seven people lost their lives and many others are lost in the wake of a vessel carrying approximately two hundred people seeking to enter Europe capsized near the shoreline of The Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa seeking entry into the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and data indicates over 9,000 migrants have lost their lives trying.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry said.
Officials state some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is one of the routes used by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with several Maghreb states designed to curtailing undocumented migration.
