No fewer than seven people have died and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel ferrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter Europe capsized near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for those still missing who were aboard the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants seeking entry into the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a search operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the military confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
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 receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a frequent corridor used by migrants seeking to get to the EU, often on perilous trips over water and land.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with multiple North African nations aimed at limiting irregular migration.
