Dozens Unaccounted For After Craft Transporting Two Hundred Migrants Goes Down off Gambia.
At least seven people lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for in the wake of a craft transporting about 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe overturned off the coast of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for those still missing who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa seeking entry into Europe.
Close to 47,000 people made it to the Canary Islands in 2024 and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals have lost their lives in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, deploying several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven victims who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is one of the routes taken by migrants attempting to enter the EU, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European Union has established pacts with a number of North African nations aimed at reducing irregular migration.