No fewer than seven people lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for after a craft carrying approximately 200 migrants trying to get to Europe sank off the coast of The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of 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 were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach European nations.
Nearly 47,000 individuals made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and estimates over 9,000 people have lost their lives in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military reported.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is one of the routes taken by migrants seeking to get to the EU, typically through perilous trips over water and land.
Recently, the European Union has established pacts with a number of North African countries with the goal of reducing undocumented migration.
