A minimum of seven individuals have perished and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a craft ferrying around 200 people attempting to reach the European continent overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials said.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven victims who drowned have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants attempting to enter the EU, typically through dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has forged deals with multiple North African countries designed to reducing irregular migration.
