Numerous People Unaccounted For After Boat Holding 200 Migrants Sinks near the coast of the Gambian coast.
No fewer than seven people have died and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a vessel ferrying about two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe overturned off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers trying to reach European nations.
Close to 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in the year 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 migrants have lost their lives during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a rescue mission, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven people who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants trying to reach Europe, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European bloc has established pacts with several North African nations aimed at limiting illegal migration.
