No fewer than seven individuals have died and many others are missing following a boat carrying around two hundred migrants attempting to reach European shores sank off the coast of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy began a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defense officials confirmed.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven individuals who died were found, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants seeking to get to European countries, often on perilous trips by sea and land.
Recently, the European bloc has established pacts with multiple Maghreb states with the goal of curtailing irregular migration.
