No fewer than seven individuals have died and many others are missing after a boat carrying around 200 migrants attempting to reach European shores overturned off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight near Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "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 other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in the year 2024 and data indicates more than 9,000 people perished trying.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry said.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who died were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway utilized by asylum seekers attempting to enter European countries, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with several Maghreb states designed to limiting illegal migration.
