No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and many others are lost following a vessel carrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter Europe overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants seeking entry into European nations.
Close to 47,000 individuals made it to the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a rescue mission, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defense officials confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven victims who died were found, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by migrants attempting to enter Europe, often on dangerous journeys by sea and land.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African nations aimed at limiting undocumented migration.
