Scores Unaccounted For Following Vessel Carrying Two Hundred Migrants Goes Down near the coast of the Gambian coast.
A minimum of seven souls have perished and a significant number are missing after a vessel ferrying about two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores overturned off the coast of Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for those still missing who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Close to 47,000 people made it to the Canaries in 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 migrants have lost their lives during the journey.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defence ministry said.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants attempting to enter European countries, typically through perilous trips over water and land.
Recently, the EU has forged deals with a number of North African nations designed to curtailing undocumented migration.
