At least seven people have perished and numerous others are lost after a craft ferrying around two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe capsized off the coast of The Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa attempting to get to the EU.
Almost 47,000 people made it to the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates over 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a search operation, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven victims who perished at sea have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, typically through hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple North African nations with the goal of reducing illegal migration.
