No fewer than seven people have died and many others remain unaccounted for after a vessel transporting around 200 people seeking to enter Europe sank off the coast of Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Close to 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates more than 9,000 migrants have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search operation, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defense officials reported.
Authorities say some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to European countries, typically through hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African nations with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
