A minimum of seven individuals have died and many others are missing after a craft transporting approximately 200 migrants attempting to reach the European continent capsized off the coast of The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces launched a search operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned were found, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants seeking to get to Europe, frequently via perilous trips by sea and land.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states designed to limiting undocumented migration.
