At least seven souls have died and many others are missing in the wake of a boat carrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter the European continent sank off the coast of Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 migrants have lost their lives in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to European countries, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states designed to curtailing irregular migration.
