No fewer than seven people lost their lives and a significant number are lost following a vessel carrying about two hundred migrants seeking to enter Europe capsized near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants attempting to get to the EU.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates over nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing boat 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 remains of the seven people who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is one of the routes taken by migrants trying to reach Europe, often on perilous trips over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of limiting irregular migration.
