No fewer than seven souls lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for following a craft transporting about 200 migrants trying to get to European shores capsized off the coast of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that offered help, the defence ministry said.
Reports indicate several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven individuals who drowned have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a frequent corridor used by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Recently, the European bloc has established pacts with multiple Maghreb states aimed at limiting illegal migration.
