At least seven souls have died and numerous others are missing in the wake of a craft carrying about two hundred people seeking to enter European shores sank off the coast of Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in 2024 and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy launched a search operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing boat that offered help, the defense officials reported.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is one of the routes utilized by migrants seeking to get to Europe, typically through hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple North African nations with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
