A minimum of seven individuals have perished and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel transporting approximately 200 people attempting to reach the European continent capsized near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and estimates over nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven victims who died were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway used by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, often on dangerous journeys over water and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has reached agreements with several Maghreb states designed to limiting undocumented migration.
