Numerous People Unaccounted For Following Boat Holding 200 Asylum Seekers Capsizes in waters off Gambia.
A minimum of seven souls lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for following a vessel ferrying approximately 200 migrants attempting to reach European shores overturned near the shoreline of Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were on board the capsized craft that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa attempting to get to Europe.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 migrants have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a rescue mission, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven victims who drowned have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway utilized by migrants seeking to get to European countries, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African countries with the goal of reducing illegal migration.
