Dozens Missing After Boat Transporting 200 Migrants Sinks near the coast of The Gambia.
No fewer than seven people have perished and many others are lost following a craft transporting approximately two hundred migrants attempting to reach European shores overturned off the coast of Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in the year 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 migrants have died in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy launched a rescue mission, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defense officials said.
Officials state a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants attempting to enter European countries, typically through hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with a number of North African nations aimed at curtailing undocumented migration.
