A minimum of seven souls lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel ferrying around two hundred people trying to get to the European continent sank off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy began a search operation, deploying several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are said to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach European countries, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple North African countries aimed at reducing irregular migration.
