At least seven souls have died and a significant number are missing following a boat carrying about two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores overturned in waters near Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were traveling on the sunken boat that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military said.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not Gambian 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 described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants trying to reach European countries, frequently via dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Recently, the EU has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states designed to limiting irregular migration.
