A minimum of seven individuals have died and a significant number are missing following a craft transporting around two hundred migrants attempting to reach the European continent sank off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Close to 47,000 individuals reached the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy began a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials reported.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven victims who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by migrants seeking to get to Europe, typically through hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with several North African countries with the goal of curtailing undocumented migration.
