A minimum of seven people have died and numerous others are lost after a craft ferrying approximately 200 migrants trying to get to the European continent capsized off the coast of The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa trying to reach European nations.
Close to 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people perished during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military said.
Officials state a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes used by asylum seekers attempting to enter European countries, frequently via perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European bloc has forged deals with several Maghreb states with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
