No fewer than seven people have perished and numerous others are lost after a vessel carrying about 200 people trying to get to the European continent sank near the shoreline of Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for those still missing who were on board the sunken boat that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Nearly 47,000 individuals made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a search operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry said.
Officials state a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven people who drowned have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants seeking to get to Europe, frequently via perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European Union has established pacts with several North African nations designed to limiting undocumented migration.
