A minimum of seven individuals have died and a significant number are lost following a craft transporting approximately 200 people attempting to reach European shores capsized in waters near The Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers trying to reach the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a search operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials reported.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants trying to reach Europe, typically through dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of North African countries aimed at limiting undocumented migration.
