No fewer than seven individuals have died and many others remain unaccounted for after a vessel transporting around 200 migrants attempting to reach European shores overturned in waters near Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday 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.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and estimates more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a search operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, typically through hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of North African countries with the goal of limiting illegal migration.