Dozens Lost After Boat Holding 200 Migrants Capsizes near the coast of The Gambia.
No fewer than seven individuals have died and a significant number are missing after a boat ferrying around 200 people seeking to enter Europe sank off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 migrants have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a rescue mission, using a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven victims who died have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a common pathway utilized by asylum seekers attempting to enter the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with multiple Maghreb states designed to curtailing irregular migration.
