At least seven souls have perished and many others are missing after a vessel transporting approximately two hundred people attempting to reach the European continent sank in waters near The Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers trying to reach European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and data indicates over nine thousand individuals have died in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military confirmed.
Officials state a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned were found, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a common pathway used by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of North African nations aimed at limiting illegal migration.
