No fewer than seven individuals have died and a significant number are lost after a craft carrying about 200 people seeking to enter Europe sank in waters near Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night near Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants attempting to get to the EU.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canaries in the year 2024 and data indicates over 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven people who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by migrants seeking to get to Europe, often on hazardous voyages over water and land.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of North African nations with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
