A minimum of seven individuals have died and a significant number are lost following a vessel transporting around 200 people trying to get to European shores overturned off the coast of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants attempting to get to the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates over 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a rescue mission, using multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry said.
Officials state several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants seeking to get to European countries, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has forged deals with a number of North African nations designed to limiting undocumented migration.
