Dozens Missing After Boat Holding 200 Asylum Seekers Capsizes in waters off Gambia.
No fewer than seven souls have died and a significant number are missing following a craft ferrying approximately 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe capsized in waters near The Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night near Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Close to 47,000 people made it to the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces launched a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven victims who drowned were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants trying to reach Europe, typically through dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of North African nations with the goal of reducing illegal migration.
