A minimum of seven individuals have perished and a significant number remain unaccounted for following a boat ferrying approximately two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent capsized near the shoreline of Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for those still missing who were on board the sunken boat that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 migrants have died in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a rescue mission, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven victims who drowned were found, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers attempting to enter Europe, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with several North African nations with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
