At least seven souls have perished and a significant number are lost after a vessel transporting about two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent overturned in waters near Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers seeking entry into the EU.
Almost 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in the year 2024 and estimates more than nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search operation, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven victims who drowned have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a frequent corridor used by migrants trying to reach the EU, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states designed to limiting irregular migration.
