Numerous People Missing After Vessel Holding 200 Migrants Capsizes off the Gambian coast.
No fewer than seven people lost their lives and numerous others are lost in the wake of a vessel transporting about two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa attempting to get to Europe.
Almost 47,000 people made it to the Canary Islands in 2024 and data indicates more than 9,000 migrants have lost their lives in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a search operation, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned 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 taken by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, often on dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of reducing irregular migration.