Scores Lost After Boat Transporting Two Hundred Migrants Goes Down in waters off Gambia.
At least seven souls have perished and many others are lost following a boat ferrying approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent sank near the shoreline of The Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for those still missing who were aboard the sunken boat that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.
Nearly 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 people have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces launched a rescue mission, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military confirmed.
Authorities say several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven individuals who drowned were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, typically through dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with several Maghreb states designed to limiting illegal migration.