No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and many others are missing in the wake of a vessel transporting around 200 migrants trying to get to the European continent capsized off the coast of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach the EU.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 people have died in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with multiple North African countries with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
