A minimum of seven individuals lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for following a craft carrying around 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe sank in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the capsized craft that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a rescue mission, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to European countries, frequently via perilous trips over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple Maghreb states designed to limiting undocumented migration.
