A minimum of seven individuals have died and a significant number are lost in the wake of a boat carrying approximately 200 migrants trying to get to European shores capsized off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates over nine thousand individuals have lost their lives during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces launched a rescue mission, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by migrants attempting to enter Europe, often on dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with multiple North African countries with the goal of reducing undocumented migration.
