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At least seven individuals have died and numerous others are lost following a vessel carrying around two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores sank in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.

The vessel capsized late Wednesday night close to Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.

Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.

The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa seeking entry into European nations.

Nearly 47,000 individuals arrived at the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and estimates over 9,000 people have died in the attempt.

Ongoing Mission

In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials said.

Officials state a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.

The deceased of the seven victims who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.

An Established Corridor

This West African nation is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys by sea and land.

Over the past few years, the European bloc has established pacts with multiple Maghreb states with the goal of reducing undocumented migration.