A minimum of seven individuals have perished and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a craft carrying approximately 200 people trying to get to Europe capsized near the shoreline of Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants attempting to get to the EU.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 people have died in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a search operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials said.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven people who died have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple North African countries with the goal of limiting irregular migration.
