A minimum of seven people have died and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel carrying approximately two hundred people seeking to enter the European continent overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and data indicates more than 9,000 people have died trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a search operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the military said.
Authorities say several of the victims are not Gambian nationals 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 getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a frequent corridor used by asylum seekers attempting to enter the EU, frequently via perilous trips by sea and land.
Recently, the EU has forged deals with a number of Maghreb states designed to reducing illegal migration.
