No fewer than seven souls lost their lives and a significant number are missing following a craft carrying around two hundred people trying to get to Europe capsized off the coast of Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Close to 47,000 people made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals have lost their lives during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a rescue mission, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that offered help, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway utilized by migrants attempting to enter Europe, frequently via perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of North African nations designed to curtailing undocumented migration.
