A minimum of seven souls have perished and numerous others are missing in the wake of a craft ferrying around 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe capsized in waters near The Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Close to 47,000 people made it to the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that offered help, the military said.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is one of the routes used by asylum seekers attempting to enter European countries, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with multiple North African countries designed to reducing undocumented migration.
