No fewer than seven souls lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for following a vessel ferrying approximately 200 migrants seeking to enter Europe sank in waters near the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the sunken boat that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers seeking entry into the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy began a search-and-rescue operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry said.
Authorities say several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven people who died were found, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to European countries, frequently via hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the EU has forged deals with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of curtailing illegal migration.
