At least seven people have perished and many others are lost after a boat transporting about 200 migrants seeking to enter the European continent overturned in waters near Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants trying to reach the EU.
Almost 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces launched a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the military reported.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is one of the routes used by migrants trying to reach the EU, typically through hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with multiple North African countries aimed at curtailing illegal migration.
