A minimum of seven individuals lost their lives and a significant number are missing after a boat ferrying approximately 200 people seeking to enter the European continent overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in 2024 and data indicates over nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search-and-rescue operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry said.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who died were found, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants seeking to get to Europe, often on hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has established pacts with several Maghreb states aimed at limiting illegal migration.
