No fewer than seven people lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for following a boat carrying about 200 migrants trying to get to European shores capsized off the coast of Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Almost 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Authorities say some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who perished at sea have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants trying to reach the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states designed to curtailing illegal migration.
