Dozens Lost Following Craft Holding Two Hundred Migrants Capsizes in waters off The Gambia.
No fewer than seven souls have perished and numerous others are lost in the wake of a craft ferrying about 200 migrants trying to get to the European continent overturned in waters near The Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Canaries in 2024 and estimates over 9,000 migrants have lost their lives in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a common pathway used by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, typically through hazardous voyages by sea and land.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with a number of North African countries aimed at curtailing undocumented migration.
