At least seven people have perished and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat ferrying around 200 people seeking to enter European shores overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night near Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for those still missing who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants trying to reach the EU.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 migrants have lost their lives trying.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military confirmed.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven people who died have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on dangerous journeys over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states designed to limiting undocumented migration.
