At least seven individuals have perished and a significant number remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel carrying approximately 200 migrants trying to get to the European continent overturned in waters near The Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for those still missing who were traveling on the sunken boat that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Canaries in 2024 and estimates more than nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces launched a search operation, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven individuals who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants attempting to enter the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has reached agreements with multiple North African nations with the goal of limiting irregular migration.
