A minimum of seven individuals have died and a significant number are lost following a craft transporting about two hundred people seeking to enter Europe sank in waters near The Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, involving a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military said.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway utilized by asylum seekers attempting to enter the EU, typically through hazardous voyages over water and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of North African countries designed to limiting illegal migration.
