Scores Missing After Boat Carrying Two Hundred Migrants Sinks off The Gambia.
A minimum of seven individuals have perished and numerous others remain unaccounted for following a craft ferrying approximately 200 people trying to get to European shores overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the capsized craft that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates more than 9,000 people perished during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defence ministry confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes used by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has forged deals with several Maghreb states designed to limiting undocumented migration.
