Scores Missing Following Craft Holding Two Hundred Asylum Seekers Sinks near the coast of The Gambia.
A minimum of seven souls have perished and numerous others are lost following a craft transporting about two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent sank near the shoreline of Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa attempting to get to the EU.
Almost 47,000 individuals made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 migrants have lost their lives in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving several naval vessels and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the military reported.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants attempting to enter European countries, typically through hazardous voyages over water and land.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of North African nations with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
