Dozens Unaccounted For After Vessel Carrying 200 Asylum Seekers Sinks near the coast of the Gambian coast.
At least seven individuals have perished and a significant number are lost in the wake of a vessel transporting around 200 migrants seeking to enter the European continent capsized in waters near the Gambian coast, officials state.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Almost 47,000 people made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 migrants have died trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy began a search operation, deploying several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven victims who drowned were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants attempting to enter the EU, typically through hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple North African countries aimed at curtailing irregular migration.
