Dozens Missing After Vessel Transporting 200 Asylum Seekers Capsizes near the coast of The Gambia.
At least seven souls have perished and many others are missing following a boat ferrying about 200 migrants seeking to enter Europe sank off the coast of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night close to Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for those still missing who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants trying to reach Europe.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 migrants have died during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy began a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants trying to reach European countries, typically through perilous trips by sea and land.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with multiple North African countries with the goal of reducing illegal migration.