A minimum of seven individuals have perished and many others are lost after a vessel ferrying approximately 200 migrants attempting to reach European shores capsized near the shoreline of Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night near the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach the EU.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a rescue mission, using several naval vessels and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a common pathway used by migrants attempting to enter Europe, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with a number of North African countries with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
