Numerous People Lost After Craft Holding Two Hundred Migrants Capsizes off the Gambian coast.
At least seven individuals have died and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a craft transporting about 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe capsized near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for those still missing who were on board the capsized craft that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa trying to reach European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in 2024 and data indicates over 9,000 people have died in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven victims who died were found, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is one of the routes taken by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European Union has established pacts with a number of North African countries aimed at curtailing undocumented migration.
