Scores Lost Following Vessel Holding 200 Asylum Seekers Capsizes off Gambia.
At least seven souls lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for following a boat carrying approximately 200 migrants attempting to reach European shores sank near the shoreline of Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to the EU.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals have died in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Authorities say several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a common pathway used by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has forged deals with several North African countries designed to reducing undocumented migration.
