No fewer than seven people have died and many others are lost in the wake of a vessel carrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter Europe sank in waters near Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates over nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a rescue mission, deploying several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the military reported.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven victims who perished at sea were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to European countries, frequently via perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African countries designed to limiting irregular migration.
