A minimum of seven souls have perished and a significant number are missing following a vessel ferrying approximately 200 migrants trying to get to Europe sank off the coast of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals arrived at the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that offered help, the military said.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants trying to reach Europe, typically through dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European Union has forged deals with multiple North African nations aimed at curtailing irregular migration.
