A minimum of seven people have perished and many others are lost following a vessel ferrying about 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores capsized near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat 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.
Close to 47,000 individuals made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that offered help, the military reported.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven victims who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway taken by migrants seeking to get to Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of North African nations designed to limiting undocumented migration.
