At least seven souls have perished and many others are missing in the wake of a vessel transporting approximately two hundred people seeking to enter Europe overturned off the coast of The Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly 47,000 individuals made it to the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 migrants have died trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a search operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, often on dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European bloc has forged deals with a number of North African countries designed to curtailing irregular migration.
