Scores Lost After Vessel Transporting Two Hundred Asylum Seekers Goes Down near the coast of The Gambia.
A minimum of seven people have died and a significant number are missing in the wake of a craft carrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter the European continent overturned off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals reached the Canaries in 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 migrants have lost their lives in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy launched a rescue mission, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Reports indicate several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died were found, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway taken by migrants attempting to enter Europe, typically through perilous trips by sea and land.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with several Maghreb states aimed at limiting irregular migration.
