No fewer than seven souls lost their lives and a significant number are lost in the wake of a vessel ferrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter Europe overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa attempting to get to Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and estimates more than nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy began a search operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants seeking to get to Europe, frequently via dangerous journeys over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with a number of North African nations designed to curtailing illegal migration.
