Scores Missing After Vessel Transporting Two Hundred Migrants Sinks near the coast of Gambia.
At least seven souls have perished and many others are missing in the wake of a boat ferrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores capsized off the coast of The Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the capsized craft that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 people perished in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military said.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea were found, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway used by migrants seeking to get to European countries, typically through hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European Union has established pacts with several North African countries designed to limiting illegal migration.
