At least seven individuals have died and many others are lost following a boat carrying around two hundred people seeking to enter the European continent capsized near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
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 arrived at the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a rescue mission, involving a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven victims who died were found, and ten of the survivors are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants trying to reach European countries, typically through dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states designed to reducing illegal migration.
