Dozens Lost Following Craft Carrying Two Hundred Migrants Goes Down near the coast of Gambia.
No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and many others are missing after a vessel transporting approximately two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe sank off the coast of The Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants seeking entry into European nations.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates in excess of nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy began a search operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Recently, the European Union has forged deals with a number of North African nations designed to limiting irregular migration.
