A minimum of seven souls lost their lives and numerous others are lost in the wake of a boat ferrying about 200 migrants seeking to enter the European continent overturned off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy launched a search operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the military confirmed.
Officials state a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who died were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway utilized by migrants attempting to enter European countries, often on dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has reached agreements with multiple North African countries with the goal of curtailing illegal migration.
