No fewer than seven people lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a craft carrying about 200 people seeking to enter European shores sank off the coast of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Close to 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates over 9,000 people perished trying.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who died have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a common pathway utilized by migrants seeking to get to the EU, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European Union has forged deals with several Maghreb states with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
