No fewer than seven people lost their lives and many others are lost in the wake of a vessel carrying around 200 migrants attempting to reach the European continent sank near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in 2024 and figures suggest more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military confirmed.
Officials state a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven individuals who died were found, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway taken by migrants seeking to get to the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the European Union has forged deals with a number of North African nations with the goal of curtailing undocumented migration.
