A minimum of seven individuals have perished and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat ferrying about 200 migrants seeking to enter the European continent capsized in waters near The Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers trying to reach the EU.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the military said.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a frequent corridor used by asylum seekers attempting to enter the EU, frequently via perilous trips over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple Maghreb states with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
