At least seven people have died and a significant number are lost in the wake of a vessel carrying approximately 200 people seeking to enter Europe overturned near the shoreline of Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Almost 47,000 people made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a rescue mission, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the military reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven victims who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by migrants attempting to enter the EU, often on hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has established pacts with multiple North African countries designed to limiting undocumented migration.
