No fewer than seven souls lost their lives and numerous others are lost after a craft carrying approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter Europe capsized off the coast of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Close to 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and data indicates over nine thousand individuals have lost their lives during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a search operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that offered help, the military said.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven victims who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a frequent corridor taken by migrants seeking to get to Europe, often on perilous trips over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states aimed at reducing undocumented migration.
