A minimum of seven souls have died and a significant number are lost after a vessel transporting approximately two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent overturned in waters near The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.
Close to 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates more than 9,000 migrants have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants trying to reach the EU, typically through hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with several Maghreb states designed to limiting illegal migration.
