At least seven people lost their lives and many others are lost in the wake of a boat transporting around 200 migrants trying to get to Europe capsized near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants trying to reach the EU.
Almost 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants trying to reach European countries, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has forged deals with a number of North African countries aimed at limiting undocumented migration.
