Numerous People Unaccounted For After Craft Transporting Two Hundred Migrants Goes Down in waters off the Gambian coast.
A minimum of seven individuals lost their lives and numerous others are missing in the wake of a vessel ferrying about two hundred people seeking to enter the European continent capsized near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Almost 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a search operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that offered help, the defense officials reported.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven people who perished at sea were found, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a common pathway utilized by migrants attempting to enter the EU, often on perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has established pacts with multiple Maghreb states designed to curtailing irregular migration.
