Dozens Lost After Craft Holding Two Hundred Migrants Capsizes in waters off The Gambia.
A minimum of seven people have died and a significant number are lost in the wake of a vessel carrying about 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe sank off the coast of The Gambia, 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 "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to the EU.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 migrants have died during the journey.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a rescue mission, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the military confirmed.
Authorities say some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers attempting to enter European countries, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has reached agreements with several North African countries designed to limiting illegal migration.
