Scores Unaccounted For After Vessel Holding Two Hundred Migrants Sinks in waters off The Gambia.
A minimum of seven souls have perished and a significant number are lost following a boat transporting around two hundred people trying to get to the European continent overturned in waters near Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were aboard the capsized craft that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach the EU.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates in excess of nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search operation, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants attempting to enter European countries, typically through perilous trips by sea and land.
In recent years, the EU has forged deals with multiple North African countries aimed at limiting undocumented migration.
