A minimum of seven souls lost their lives and a significant number are lost after a vessel transporting around 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe sank near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers trying to reach the EU.
Close to 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and estimates more than nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is one of the routes used by migrants trying to reach the EU, typically through dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple Maghreb states aimed at limiting irregular migration.
