Dozens Unaccounted For After Craft Carrying Two Hundred Asylum Seekers Capsizes off The Gambia.
No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for following a boat transporting about two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe capsized off the coast of The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach the EU.
Almost 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 people perished in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who died were found, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers attempting to enter European countries, typically through dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states with the goal of reducing undocumented migration.
