A minimum of seven individuals lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for after a boat ferrying about 200 people trying to get to the European continent sank near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and data indicates over 9,000 migrants have lost their lives in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven victims who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants trying to reach Europe, often on perilous trips over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of curtailing irregular migration.
