No fewer than seven people lost their lives and a significant number are missing following a vessel ferrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter Europe sank near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight near Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 migrants perished in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, 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 frequent corridor utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European bloc has reached agreements with several North African nations designed to curtailing illegal migration.
