A minimum of seven souls have died and many others are missing following a vessel carrying about 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 migrants have died trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the military said.
Authorities say several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven victims who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is one of the routes utilized by migrants seeking to get to European countries, typically through perilous trips over water and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with a number of North African countries designed to limiting irregular migration.
