At least seven individuals lost their lives and numerous others are lost following a boat carrying about two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were aboard the sunken boat that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly 47,000 individuals made it to the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Authorities say some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven people who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, frequently via perilous trips over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of curtailing undocumented migration.
