Dozens Missing After Vessel Carrying 200 Migrants Sinks off the Gambian coast.
A minimum of seven souls lost their lives and a significant number are lost following a vessel ferrying approximately 200 people attempting to reach European shores overturned near the shoreline of Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants seeking entry into Europe.
Almost 47,000 people reached the Canaries in the year 2024 and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, using several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defense officials said.
Authorities say some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven victims who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, often on hazardous voyages over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states designed to curtailing illegal migration.
