A minimum of seven souls have died and many others are lost following a craft transporting about 200 migrants trying to get to the European continent overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night near Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for those still missing who were aboard the capsized craft that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Close to 47,000 people arrived at the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are described as being in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway taken by migrants attempting to enter Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with a number of North African countries with the goal of curtailing irregular migration.
