No fewer than seven people have died and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a craft transporting around 200 migrants attempting to reach European shores capsized near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and estimates more than nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that offered help, the military said.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven victims who died were found, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants seeking to get to the EU, typically through dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple North African nations aimed at reducing irregular migration.
