No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and many others are lost after a boat carrying about two hundred people trying to get to European shores overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in the year 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 people perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy launched a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry said.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers attempting to enter Europe, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European Union has forged deals with several Maghreb states designed to reducing undocumented migration.
