A minimum of seven souls lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat carrying approximately two hundred people seeking to enter European shores sank near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach European nations.
Close to 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in 2024 and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a rescue mission, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the military said.
Officials state some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been retrieved, 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 taken by migrants trying to reach European countries, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states aimed at reducing illegal migration.
