No fewer than seven individuals have died and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat ferrying around 200 migrants attempting to reach European shores overturned in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.
Almost 47,000 people reached the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 migrants have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants seeking to get to European countries, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states designed to reducing undocumented migration.
