A minimum of seven individuals have perished and many others are missing after a craft ferrying approximately two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe sank in waters near The Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into Europe.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Canaries in the year 2024 and estimates over 9,000 migrants have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a frequent corridor used by migrants seeking to get to the EU, often on perilous trips by sea and land.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of curtailing illegal migration.
