Scores Missing After Vessel Transporting 200 Migrants Sinks off The Gambia.
No fewer than seven people lost their lives and a significant number are lost in the wake of a craft carrying about two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 people perished in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a common pathway used by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, frequently via perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the European Union has established pacts with a number of North African countries designed to curtailing illegal migration.
