A minimum of seven souls have died and a significant number are lost after a boat transporting about two hundred people seeking to enter European shores overturned in waters near The Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to European nations.
Close to 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and data indicates over 9,000 migrants perished during the journey.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military said.
Reports indicate several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven people who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants trying to reach the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states designed to limiting undocumented migration.
