At least seven individuals lost their lives and a significant number are missing in the wake of a craft transporting about 200 people seeking to enter European shores sank off the coast of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Close to 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in the year 2024 and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a rescue mission, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants attempting to enter European countries, frequently via perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with several North African nations aimed at limiting undocumented migration.
