Scores Lost After Vessel Holding Two Hundred Asylum Seekers Capsizes off Gambia.
No fewer than seven people have perished and a significant number are missing following a craft ferrying approximately 200 migrants seeking to enter the European continent capsized near the shoreline of Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in 2024 and estimates more than 9,000 migrants perished during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven individuals who drowned were found, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a common pathway utilized by asylum seekers attempting to enter Europe, typically through hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with several North African countries designed to reducing irregular migration.
