At least seven people have perished and a significant number are missing following a vessel ferrying approximately 200 people seeking to enter Europe capsized in waters near Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa attempting to get to the EU.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates in excess of nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a rescue mission, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants attempting to enter Europe, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Recently, the European Union has reached agreements with several North African countries with the goal of reducing illegal migration.
