Dozens Lost After Boat Transporting 200 Asylum Seekers Capsizes in waters off the Gambian coast.
At least seven souls have perished and many others are lost after a boat carrying approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent overturned off the coast of The Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday near the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach European nations.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and estimates over nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces launched a search operation, involving multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military confirmed.
Reports indicate several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned were found, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants attempting to enter the EU, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European Union has established pacts with a number of North African countries with the goal of curtailing undocumented migration.