No fewer than seven souls have perished and many others are lost after a craft ferrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores capsized near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to the EU.
Close to 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 migrants have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that offered help, the defense officials said.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea were found, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is one of the routes utilized by migrants attempting to enter European countries, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Recently, the European Union has reached agreements with multiple Maghreb states with the goal of limiting irregular migration.
