At least seven souls have died and a significant number are missing after a boat carrying around 200 people trying to get to European shores overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and data indicates more than 9,000 migrants have died in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy began a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven people who drowned were found, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants trying to reach Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the European Union has reached agreements with several North African countries designed to curtailing undocumented migration.
