A minimum of seven souls have died and a significant number are missing in the wake of a boat ferrying about 200 people trying to get to the European continent sank off the coast of Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the sunken boat that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Canaries in 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 people perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces launched a search operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that offered help, the defence ministry said.
Officials state a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are said to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a frequent corridor used by migrants seeking to get to Europe, frequently via perilous trips by sea and land.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of North African countries aimed at limiting undocumented migration.
