Dozens Missing After Craft Transporting Two Hundred Asylum Seekers Goes Down near the coast of The Gambia.
No fewer than seven people lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel ferrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter Europe sank off the coast of Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Almost 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 people have lost their lives in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, the navy launched a rescue mission, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the military reported.
Authorities say several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants trying to reach Europe, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple Maghreb states designed to limiting illegal migration.
