A minimum of seven people have perished and many others remain unaccounted for following a craft ferrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter Europe overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa seeking entry into European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals arrived at the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 migrants have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven victims who perished at sea were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is one of the routes used by asylum seekers seeking to get to European countries, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
In recent years, the EU has forged deals with a number of North African nations aimed at limiting irregular migration.
