A minimum of seven people have died and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel transporting around two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe sank off the coast of The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into Europe.
Almost 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces launched a rescue mission, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the military reported.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway taken by migrants attempting to enter Europe, typically through hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple North African nations aimed at limiting undocumented migration.
