Dozens Lost Following Vessel Carrying 200 Migrants Goes Down near the coast of The Gambia.
At least seven individuals have perished and many others remain unaccounted for following a vessel transporting approximately two hundred people attempting to reach European shores overturned in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in 2024 and estimates in excess of nine thousand individuals have lost their lives during the journey.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Authorities say a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven victims 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
The Gambia is a common pathway taken by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with several Maghreb states designed to curtailing irregular migration.
