Scores Unaccounted For After Vessel Transporting Two Hundred Asylum Seekers Goes Down near the coast of The Gambia.
At least seven souls have perished and numerous others are lost following a craft ferrying approximately 200 migrants trying to get to Europe sank in waters near The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were aboard the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers trying to reach European nations.
Close to 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 people have died trying.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, the navy launched a rescue mission, deploying several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry said.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved 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 the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European Union has forged deals with a number of North African nations with the goal of curtailing illegal migration.
