A minimum of seven souls have died and numerous others are lost following a boat transporting approximately two hundred migrants attempting to reach European shores capsized near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night close to the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to the EU.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 migrants have lost their lives trying.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the military said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to European countries, often on hazardous voyages over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has reached agreements with multiple North African countries aimed at reducing illegal migration.
