No fewer than seven souls have died and many others are lost following a boat transporting around two hundred migrants attempting to reach European shores capsized off the coast of Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Almost 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, the navy initiated a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing boat that offered help, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants trying to reach European countries, frequently via perilous trips by sea and land.
Recently, the EU has forged deals with a number of North African nations designed to curtailing undocumented migration.
