No fewer than seven souls have died and numerous others are lost after a vessel ferrying about two hundred people trying to get to European shores capsized off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack in the North 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 hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates over 9,000 people have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a search operation, involving a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven victims who drowned were found, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a frequent corridor used by migrants seeking to get to the EU, often on hazardous voyages over water and land.
In recent years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple North African countries designed to limiting irregular migration.
