No fewer than seven souls lost their lives and a significant number are lost following a vessel transporting about 200 migrants attempting to reach the European continent overturned in waters near The Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers seeking entry into the EU.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals have lost their lives in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces launched a search operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
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 died were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway used by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on perilous trips by sea and land.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with multiple North African nations designed to limiting irregular migration.
