Dozens Lost Following Vessel Holding Two Hundred Asylum Seekers Sinks in waters off The Gambia.
No fewer than seven individuals have died and a significant number remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat transporting about two hundred people attempting to reach European shores capsized in waters near Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers trying to reach European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 migrants have lost their lives in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, involving several naval vessels and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military said.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a common pathway used by migrants seeking to get to the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple Maghreb states designed to limiting irregular migration.
