A minimum of seven individuals have perished and numerous others are missing following a vessel carrying approximately 200 migrants trying to get to Europe capsized near the shoreline of Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Almost 47,000 individuals made it to the Spanish archipelago 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 search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military reported.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea were found, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants seeking to get to Europe, often on dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has established pacts with multiple North African nations designed to curtailing undocumented migration.
