Numerous People Lost After Craft Holding 200 Migrants Sinks off Gambia.
A minimum of seven souls have perished and a significant number are missing following a boat transporting around 200 migrants attempting to reach European shores sank near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers attempting to get to the EU.
Close to 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in the year 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials said.
Officials state some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants trying to reach the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple North African nations designed to limiting undocumented migration.
