No fewer than seven individuals have died and a significant number are lost following a craft ferrying approximately two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe sank off the coast of Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 migrants perished in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a search operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven people who died have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to European countries, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has forged deals with a number of Maghreb states designed to curtailing irregular migration.
