No fewer than seven individuals have died and numerous others are lost following a vessel transporting approximately 200 migrants trying to get to the European continent sank off the coast of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the military said.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants trying to reach the EU, frequently via perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with multiple Maghreb states designed to limiting illegal migration.
