No fewer than seven people have died and numerous others are lost following a boat carrying around two hundred people attempting to reach Europe sank off the coast of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for other passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy launched a search operation, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military said.
Officials state several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven individuals who drowned were found, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants seeking to get to the EU, frequently via perilous trips over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has established pacts with several North African nations with the goal of curtailing irregular migration.
