At least seven individuals have perished and a significant number are lost in the wake of a boat carrying around two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in 2024 and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy began a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the military reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven victims who perished at sea were found, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a frequent corridor taken by migrants trying to reach the EU, often on perilous trips by sea and land.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with several North African countries designed to curtailing undocumented migration.
