At least seven individuals have perished and many others are lost following a vessel carrying around 200 people seeking to enter European shores capsized near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night close to Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and data indicates more than 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that offered help, the defence ministry said.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven victims who died were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants seeking to get to the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of curtailing illegal migration.
