No fewer than seven individuals have died and numerous others are missing after a craft carrying about two hundred people seeking to enter the European continent capsized off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for those still missing who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants seeking entry into the EU.
Close to 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals have lost their lives during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defence ministry said.
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 retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states aimed at reducing irregular migration.