Scores Lost Following Craft Carrying Two Hundred Asylum Seekers Capsizes off the Gambian coast.
No fewer than seven individuals have perished and numerous others are missing in the wake of a craft ferrying about 200 people seeking to enter European shores sank near the shoreline of Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night close to Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 people perished in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven individuals who died were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway used by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, typically through perilous trips by sea and land.
Recently, the EU has forged deals with several North African countries with the goal of limiting irregular migration.
