No fewer than seven souls have died and numerous others are lost after a vessel carrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent sank near the shoreline of Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and estimates over 9,000 people have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials said.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven victims who perished at sea have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants trying to reach Europe, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with several North African nations designed to limiting illegal migration.
