No fewer than seven individuals have died and many others remain unaccounted for following a boat carrying about two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent overturned off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night near Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa seeking entry into the EU.
Almost 47,000 people reached the Canaries in the year 2024 and estimates over nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a search operation, using multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defense officials reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants trying to reach European countries, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple Maghreb states with the goal of limiting irregular migration.
