No fewer than seven souls have died and a significant number are missing after a craft transporting about two hundred migrants attempting to reach European shores capsized off the coast of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and estimates more than nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defense officials reported.
Authorities say several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants seeking to get to European countries, frequently via perilous trips by sea and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has forged deals with a number of Maghreb states aimed at reducing irregular migration.
