At least seven people have died and numerous others are missing in the wake of a vessel carrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores capsized near the shoreline of Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into the EU.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 migrants have died trying.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the military said.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven individuals who drowned were found, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a frequent corridor taken by migrants seeking to get to Europe, typically through perilous trips by sea and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has reached agreements with several North African nations designed to curtailing undocumented migration.
