No fewer than seven souls lost their lives and a significant number are lost after a boat ferrying around two hundred people seeking to enter Europe sank in waters near Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence 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 sunken boat that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants seeking entry into European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 migrants have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a search operation, deploying several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defense officials said.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes used by asylum seekers attempting to enter the EU, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African countries with the goal of limiting irregular migration.
