At least seven people have died and a significant number are missing in the wake of a vessel carrying about two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe overturned in waters near Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were aboard the capsized craft that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants trying to reach the EU.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates in excess of nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a frequent corridor used by migrants attempting to enter European countries, often on perilous trips by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with a number of Maghreb states designed to reducing illegal migration.
