No fewer than seven souls have died and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat carrying around 200 people trying to get to Europe overturned near the shoreline of Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Close to 47,000 individuals arrived at the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 people have died trying.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven people who perished at sea have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a frequent corridor taken by migrants attempting to enter the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages over water and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with multiple North African nations designed to reducing undocumented migration.
