No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and a significant number are lost after a boat ferrying around two hundred people trying to get to Europe sank near the shoreline of Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight 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 have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a search operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned were found, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants attempting to enter Europe, typically through dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has forged deals with a number of Maghreb states aimed at reducing undocumented migration.
