No fewer than seven souls lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for following a craft ferrying around two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe overturned off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard 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 African asylum seekers seeking entry into the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in 2024 and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces launched a rescue mission, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry said.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven individuals who died were found, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a frequent corridor used by asylum seekers attempting to enter Europe, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Recently, the European Union has forged deals with several North African nations with the goal of limiting irregular migration.
