No fewer than seven individuals have died and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat carrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores overturned off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven people who died were found, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by migrants attempting to enter Europe, typically through perilous trips by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of North African nations aimed at curtailing illegal migration.
