A minimum of seven people lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a craft transporting approximately 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores capsized near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into European nations.
Almost 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and estimates in excess of nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, the navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials reported.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway utilized by migrants trying to reach Europe, often on perilous trips over water and land.
Recently, the European Union has reached agreements with multiple North African countries aimed at reducing undocumented migration.
