No fewer than seven souls have died and a significant number are lost in the wake of a craft transporting approximately 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores capsized near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Close to 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in 2024 and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals have lost their lives during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of North African nations aimed at reducing irregular migration.
