A minimum of seven people lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat ferrying about 200 people trying to get to European shores sank in waters near the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to the EU.
Close to 47,000 individuals made it to the Canaries in 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 people perished trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy began a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who died have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a frequent corridor taken by migrants attempting to enter Europe, often on dangerous journeys over water and land.
Recently, the European Union has forged deals with multiple North African countries aimed at limiting undocumented migration.
