No fewer than seven individuals have died and a significant number are lost after a vessel transporting around 200 migrants trying to get to Europe sank off the coast of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 people perished during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who perished at sea were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is one of the routes used by migrants seeking to get to Europe, often on dangerous journeys by sea and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has reached agreements with several Maghreb states aimed at limiting illegal migration.
