A minimum of seven souls have perished and a significant number are lost after a craft carrying approximately two hundred people seeking to enter Europe capsized off the coast of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night close to Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and data indicates over nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Authorities say a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants attempting to enter the EU, often on perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with several North African countries designed to reducing irregular migration.
