At least seven people have perished and many others remain unaccounted for following a craft transporting about two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent sank in waters near Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants attempting to get to the EU.
Almost 47,000 people made it to the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a search operation, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
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 individuals who drowned have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a frequent corridor used by migrants seeking to get to the EU, often on dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states with the goal of limiting illegal migration.
