No fewer than seven souls lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel carrying around 200 people trying to get to European shores overturned in waters near the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday near the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers trying to reach the EU.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and estimates over nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry said.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants seeking to get to Europe, often on perilous trips by sea and land.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with multiple North African nations aimed at reducing irregular migration.
