Dozens Missing After Boat Holding Two Hundred Migrants Capsizes in waters off The Gambia.
At least seven souls have perished and many others are lost after a vessel ferrying about two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe sank off the coast of The Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers trying to reach European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates over 9,000 migrants have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces launched a search operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Officials state some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants attempting to enter Europe, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Recently, the EU has forged deals with a number of North African nations with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
