No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for after a craft carrying about two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe overturned off the coast of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.
Almost 47,000 individuals reached the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a search operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the military said.
Authorities say several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are said to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants seeking to get to Europe, often on dangerous journeys over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple North African countries designed to limiting undocumented migration.
