No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and many others are missing in the wake of a boat transporting approximately two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores overturned in waters near the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers trying to reach the EU.
Almost 47,000 people made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military confirmed.
Authorities say a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven people who drowned were found, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway used by asylum seekers attempting to enter European countries, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states designed to limiting undocumented migration.
