Numerous People Unaccounted For Following Boat Carrying 200 Asylum Seekers Capsizes in waters off the Gambian coast.
No fewer than seven people have died and a significant number are lost after a craft ferrying about 200 people attempting to reach the European continent sank off the coast of The Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were on board 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 African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and estimates over 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that offered help, the military confirmed.
Authorities say several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is one of the routes used by migrants seeking to get to Europe, typically through dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with a number of North African nations aimed at limiting undocumented migration.
