No fewer than seven people have died and many others are missing after a craft transporting about 200 migrants attempting to reach European shores capsized near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants seeking entry into European nations.
Almost 47,000 people made it to the Canaries in 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 people have died in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants seeking to get to European countries, typically through hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of North African countries designed to curtailing illegal migration.
