No fewer than seven souls lost their lives and many others are lost following a boat ferrying approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores overturned off the coast of Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa trying to reach European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals arrived at the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and estimates over nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing boat that offered help, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who perished at sea were found, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants attempting to enter European countries, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has reached agreements with several North African countries with the goal of limiting illegal migration.
