No fewer than seven people lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel carrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent overturned off the coast of The Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces launched a search operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven people who perished at sea have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway taken by migrants trying to reach the EU, typically through hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has forged deals with several North African countries designed to curtailing undocumented migration.
