At least seven souls have perished and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a craft ferrying approximately 200 migrants seeking to enter Europe overturned in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Close to 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 migrants have died trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Reports indicate several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who perished at sea were found, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a common pathway utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach European countries, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has established pacts with multiple North African nations designed to reducing irregular migration.
