Scores Lost Following Boat Holding 200 Migrants Sinks in waters off the Gambian coast.
A minimum of seven people lost their lives and numerous others are missing after a boat ferrying about 200 people seeking to enter the European continent overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants seeking entry into European nations.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 people perished trying.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Authorities say several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, typically through dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with several North African countries with the goal of limiting irregular migration.
