Numerous People Missing After Craft Transporting Two Hundred Asylum Seekers Goes Down in waters off Gambia.
A minimum of seven individuals lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for following a boat carrying approximately two hundred people trying to get to the European continent overturned in waters near the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers trying to reach the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy launched a rescue mission, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that offered help, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with a number of North African nations designed to curtailing irregular migration.
