Scores Lost Following Craft Transporting Two Hundred Migrants Sinks in waters off the Gambian coast.
A minimum of seven individuals have died and numerous others are missing in the wake of a boat transporting around two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores sank off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for those still missing who were on board the sunken boat that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Close to 47,000 individuals arrived at the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and estimates over nine thousand individuals have died in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a rescue mission, using several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defence ministry said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven victims who died were found, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by migrants trying to reach European countries, typically through perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of North African countries aimed at curtailing undocumented migration.
