Dozens Missing After Craft Transporting Two Hundred Migrants Goes Down near the coast of Gambia.
No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and a significant number are lost following a boat ferrying approximately 200 migrants trying to get to the European continent overturned off the coast of Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants seeking entry into Europe.
Close to 47,000 people made it to the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants trying to reach the EU, typically through hazardous voyages over water and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with several North African countries designed to curtailing irregular migration.
