A minimum of seven people have perished and a significant number are lost following a vessel transporting approximately 200 people attempting to reach Europe capsized off the coast of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night near Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were aboard the capsized craft that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants seeking entry into the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and estimates over 9,000 migrants have lost their lives during the journey.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a search operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that offered help, the military confirmed.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach European countries, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with multiple Maghreb states with the goal of reducing undocumented migration.
