A minimum of seven individuals have perished and a significant number are lost after a vessel transporting around two hundred migrants attempting to reach European shores sank near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates in excess of nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a rescue mission, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven victims who drowned have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is one of the routes utilized by migrants trying to reach European countries, typically through perilous trips by sea and land.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with multiple North African nations designed to limiting undocumented migration.
