At least seven people have died and numerous others remain unaccounted for following a vessel transporting approximately two hundred migrants attempting to reach European shores overturned in waters near Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and data indicates over 9,000 migrants have died during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy began a search-and-rescue operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is one of the routes taken by migrants attempting to enter the EU, typically through dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African countries aimed at curtailing illegal migration.
