At least seven souls have perished and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel carrying about 200 people trying to get to European shores overturned in waters near the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and estimates over 9,000 migrants have died in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Authorities say several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants attempting to enter European countries, frequently via perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with a number of North African nations aimed at limiting illegal migration.
