At least seven souls have perished and a significant number remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel transporting about two hundred migrants seeking to enter Europe overturned in waters near The Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants seeking entry into European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that offered help, the military reported.
Authorities say several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, frequently via perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of North African countries aimed at curtailing undocumented migration.
