At least seven souls have died and a significant number are missing following a vessel ferrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter Europe capsized off the coast of The Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night near the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates more than 9,000 people have lost their lives in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defense officials reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is one of the routes utilized by migrants attempting to enter the EU, often on perilous trips over water and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has established pacts with a number of North African nations with the goal of curtailing undocumented migration.
