Scores Lost After Vessel Holding Two Hundred Asylum Seekers Sinks off Gambia.
At least seven souls have perished and many others are lost after a craft carrying about two hundred people trying to get to the European continent overturned near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Almost 47,000 individuals made it to the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and estimates over nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that offered help, the military said.
Officials state some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, typically through perilous trips by sea and land.
Recently, the European Union has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
