No fewer than seven individuals have perished and a significant number are lost in the wake of a boat transporting approximately two hundred people seeking to enter the European continent capsized 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 North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Almost 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates more than 9,000 people perished during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the military reported.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned have been recovered, 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 common pathway used by migrants attempting to enter Europe, frequently via dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with multiple North African countries with the goal of limiting irregular migration.
