Dozens Missing Following Craft Transporting 200 Migrants Goes Down in waters off the Gambian coast.
At least seven souls lost their lives and a significant number are lost after a boat transporting around 200 migrants attempting to reach European shores overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Close to 47,000 people made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven victims who died were found, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is one of the routes used by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, often on perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the European Union has forged deals with multiple North African countries aimed at reducing illegal migration.
