No fewer than seven individuals have perished and many others remain unaccounted for after a boat ferrying around two hundred people attempting to reach Europe capsized off the coast of Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the sunken boat that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants seeking entry into Europe.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 migrants have died trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials confirmed.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers attempting to enter European countries, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with several North African countries designed to reducing illegal migration.
