At least seven souls lost their lives and many others are lost after a vessel carrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent overturned near the shoreline of Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 people perished in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces launched a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with a number of North African nations aimed at reducing undocumented migration.
