At least seven people have died and numerous others are lost after a boat ferrying approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter Europe capsized near the shoreline of The Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals reached the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals have died in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a rescue mission, using a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven people who perished at sea were found, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway taken by migrants seeking to get to Europe, frequently via dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Recently, the EU has reached agreements with multiple Maghreb states designed to reducing illegal migration.
