No fewer than seven souls lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for after a vessel carrying about two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe overturned in waters near Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night near Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 people have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the military reported.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who died have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants attempting to enter the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European bloc has established pacts with multiple Maghreb states with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
