No fewer than seven individuals have perished and numerous others are missing after a vessel transporting approximately two hundred people trying to get to the European continent sank in waters near The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest more than nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy began a search-and-rescue operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants seeking to get to European countries, often on dangerous journeys over water and land.
Recently, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of North African countries aimed at limiting undocumented migration.
