Scores Lost Following Craft Carrying 200 Asylum Seekers Goes Down off the Gambian coast.
No fewer than seven souls have perished and many others are missing after a vessel ferrying around 200 people seeking to enter Europe overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into the EU.
Almost 47,000 individuals made it to the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Authorities say several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants trying to reach Europe, typically through hazardous voyages over water and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple North African countries with the goal of reducing undocumented migration.