Numerous People Missing Following Craft Holding Two Hundred Migrants Sinks near the coast of the Gambian coast.
No fewer than seven individuals have perished and a significant number are lost after a vessel carrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Close to 47,000 individuals reached the Canaries in 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 migrants have lost their lives in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces launched a search operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defence ministry reported.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea were found, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a frequent corridor used by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, often on dangerous journeys over water and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has established pacts with a number of North African nations with the goal of limiting illegal migration.