Numerous People Lost After Vessel Holding Two Hundred Migrants Capsizes near the coast of Gambia.
No fewer than seven souls have died and numerous others are lost following a boat ferrying about 200 migrants trying to get to the European continent overturned near the shoreline of Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants attempting to get to the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven people who died have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a common pathway used by asylum seekers attempting to enter European countries, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with multiple North African countries with the goal of limiting illegal migration.
