No fewer than seven people lost their lives and a significant number are missing after a craft carrying around two hundred people seeking to enter European shores overturned in waters near the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canaries in 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 migrants have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces launched a search-and-rescue operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing boat that offered help, the military said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who died have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes used by asylum seekers trying to reach European countries, typically through hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the EU has reached agreements with several Maghreb states with the goal of curtailing illegal migration.
