A minimum of seven souls have perished and many others are missing after a boat ferrying around two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe sank off the coast of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for those still missing who were traveling on the sunken boat that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 migrants perished during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces launched a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the military said.
Officials state a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants seeking to get to European countries, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states aimed at reducing illegal migration.
