No fewer than seven people lost their lives and numerous others are lost after a boat transporting approximately 200 people attempting to reach European shores overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for those still missing who were aboard the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 people perished during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy launched a search operation, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Officials state some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who died have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, typically through dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of North African countries with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
