No fewer than seven individuals have died and numerous others are lost after a boat ferrying about 200 migrants attempting to reach the European continent overturned in waters near the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night near Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 people have died trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search operation, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials said.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven victims who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway taken by migrants attempting to enter European countries, often on perilous trips by sea and land.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of North African countries with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
