At least seven souls have perished and a significant number are lost after a vessel transporting about 200 people trying to get to European shores sank near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for those still missing who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Almost 47,000 people reached the Canaries in 2024 and estimates over nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military confirmed.
Authorities say several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants seeking to get to the EU, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Recently, the European Union has established pacts with a number of North African countries with the goal of reducing illegal migration.
