No fewer than seven individuals have died and many others remain unaccounted for after a craft ferrying around 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe sank off the coast of The Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants seeking entry into the EU.
Close to 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a search operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a frequent corridor taken by migrants attempting to enter European countries, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states designed to reducing illegal migration.
