Dozens Missing Following Boat Carrying 200 Migrants Goes Down off the Gambian coast.
A minimum of seven individuals lost their lives and many others are missing after a craft transporting around 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe capsized in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a rescue mission, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers attempting to enter the EU, typically through hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states designed to reducing undocumented migration.
