A minimum of seven individuals have perished and a significant number are missing after a vessel ferrying approximately two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe sank off the coast of 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 subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants seeking entry into European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canary Islands in 2024 and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a search operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants seeking to get to the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European bloc has forged deals with several Maghreb states designed to reducing illegal migration.
