No fewer than seven individuals have perished and numerous others remain unaccounted for after a vessel carrying about 200 migrants attempting to reach European shores overturned in waters near the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers trying to reach European nations.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in 2024 and data indicates over 9,000 migrants have died in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy launched a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea were found, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor used by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of limiting illegal migration.
