A minimum of seven people have died and many others are lost following a boat ferrying about two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores overturned off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers trying to reach European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 migrants have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defense officials said.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants seeking to get to the EU, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with a number of North African countries aimed at curtailing undocumented migration.