Scores Lost Following Craft Holding Two Hundred Asylum Seekers Goes Down in waters off the Gambian coast.
No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and many others are missing after a vessel transporting about two hundred people trying to get to Europe overturned off the coast of Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night close to Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a search is continuing for those still missing who were on board the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.
Close to 47,000 individuals arrived at the Spanish archipelago in the year 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military reported.
Authorities say some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven individuals who perished at sea were found, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, frequently via perilous trips by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple Maghreb states designed to limiting illegal migration.
