No fewer than seven individuals have perished and a significant number are lost in the wake of a boat transporting about two hundred people trying to get to Europe overturned in waters near The Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in the year 2024 and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 migrants perished during the journey.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a rescue mission, involving a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a common pathway taken by migrants seeking to get to the EU, often on dangerous journeys by sea and land.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with multiple North African nations aimed at limiting irregular migration.
