A minimum of seven individuals have perished and a significant number are lost after a craft transporting approximately 200 migrants attempting to reach European shores sank in waters near Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night near the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa attempting to get to the EU.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 migrants perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that offered help, the military reported.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants seeking to get to the EU, frequently via perilous trips by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with a number of Maghreb states designed to limiting undocumented migration.
