No fewer than seven souls have perished and many others are missing after a craft carrying about 200 people seeking to enter Europe capsized off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Almost 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in 2024 and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, involving several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry said.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a frequent corridor used by migrants seeking to get to Europe, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with several North African countries with the goal of reducing undocumented migration.
