No fewer than seven individuals have died and a significant number are lost in the wake of a craft ferrying approximately 200 migrants attempting to reach the European continent overturned in waters near the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach the EU.
Nearly 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defense officials said.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is one of the routes used by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, frequently via perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the EU has forged deals with several Maghreb states with the goal of limiting irregular migration.
