A minimum of seven people lost their lives and a significant number are missing in the wake of a vessel transporting around two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants attempting to get to European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates over 9,000 people have lost their lives in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy launched a rescue mission, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military reported.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven individuals who died have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants attempting to enter European countries, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple North African countries aimed at reducing undocumented migration.
