No fewer than seven people have perished and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a vessel ferrying about 200 people seeking to enter the European continent overturned off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in 2024 and data indicates over nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defence ministry reported.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven victims who died were found, and ten of the survivors are described as being in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway used by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, often on dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with a number of North African nations with the goal of curtailing irregular migration.
