A minimum of seven individuals lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for after a vessel transporting around 200 people attempting to reach the European continent sank off the coast of Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Close to 47,000 people made it to the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea were found, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is one of the routes used by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, often on dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has forged deals with multiple North African nations designed to curtailing illegal migration.
