At least seven individuals have died and a significant number are missing following a vessel transporting about two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe capsized in waters near The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for those still missing who were traveling on the sunken boat that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 migrants perished during the journey.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search-and-rescue operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants trying to reach Europe, often on perilous trips over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with several North African nations with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
