A minimum of seven individuals have died and numerous others are missing after a craft carrying around 200 migrants trying to get to Europe overturned off the coast of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants seeking entry into the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canary Islands in 2024 and data indicates more than 9,000 people perished trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a search operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a common pathway utilized by migrants trying to reach European countries, frequently via perilous trips by sea and land.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African nations designed to limiting undocumented migration.
