A minimum of seven individuals have perished and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel carrying about two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores sank near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canary Islands 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-and-rescue operation, deploying several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the military said.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who perished at sea were found, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants seeking to get to Europe, typically through hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the European Union has established pacts with a number of North African countries with the goal of curtailing undocumented migration.
