A minimum of seven individuals have perished and numerous others remain unaccounted for following a craft transporting approximately two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven victims who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is one of the routes taken by migrants attempting to enter Europe, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states designed to reducing undocumented migration.
