At least seven souls have perished and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a craft ferrying approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores sank off the coast of The Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers attempting to get to the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 migrants have lost their lives during the journey.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defense officials confirmed.
Authorities say several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a frequent corridor used by migrants seeking to get to Europe, typically through dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has established pacts with several Maghreb states with the goal of curtailing illegal migration.
