No fewer than seven people lost their lives and a significant number are lost following a vessel carrying about 200 people seeking to enter European shores sank off the coast of The Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to Europe.
Almost 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and estimates over 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, the navy launched a rescue mission, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that offered help, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants seeking to get to Europe, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African nations with the goal of curtailing illegal migration.
