Scores Missing After Boat Holding Two Hundred Asylum Seekers Goes Down in waters off the Gambian coast.
A minimum of seven souls have perished and numerous others are lost after a boat transporting around two hundred people trying to get to the European continent sank in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa attempting to get to Europe.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in 2024 and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea were found, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants trying to reach Europe, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with multiple Maghreb states with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
