Numerous People Unaccounted For Following Craft Holding 200 Migrants Goes Down off the Gambian coast.
At least seven people have perished and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a craft transporting around two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent sank in waters near The Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 people perished in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a rescue mission, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are described as being in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway utilized by migrants trying to reach European countries, frequently via perilous trips over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple North African countries designed to limiting illegal migration.
