Dozens Lost Following Boat Holding 200 Migrants Sinks in waters off the Gambian coast.
A minimum of seven souls have died and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a craft ferrying around 200 people seeking to enter European shores overturned off the coast of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to the EU.
Close to 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals perished during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military confirmed.
Officials state some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea were found, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants attempting to enter the EU, frequently via perilous trips by sea and land.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple North African countries designed to limiting illegal migration.
