Dozens Unaccounted For Following Boat Transporting Two Hundred Migrants Goes Down in waters off Gambia.
No fewer than seven people have perished and a significant number remain unaccounted for following a boat carrying about two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent sank in waters near Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into the EU.
Almost 47,000 people reached the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and data indicates over 9,000 people perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, the navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing boat that offered help, the military reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven victims who drowned have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants seeking to get to European countries, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with a number of North African countries aimed at limiting irregular migration.
