No fewer than seven people lost their lives and a significant number are lost in the wake of a craft ferrying approximately two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores capsized off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces launched a rescue mission, using several naval vessels and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defence ministry said.
Officials state a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants attempting to enter European countries, typically through hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European Union has forged deals with several North African nations with the goal of limiting irregular migration.
