A minimum of seven individuals have died and many others are missing following a craft transporting around 200 people trying to get to European shores overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 migrants have died during the journey.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, the navy launched a rescue mission, using multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died were found, and ten of the survivors are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants trying to reach Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the European Union has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states aimed at reducing illegal migration.
