Numerous People Missing Following Craft Holding Two Hundred Migrants Sinks off The Gambia.
No fewer than seven individuals have perished and a significant number are lost in the wake of a craft transporting approximately 200 migrants trying to get to the European continent sank near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.
Close to 47,000 people arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who died have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European Union has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states designed to reducing irregular migration.