Dozens Lost Following Vessel Carrying 200 Migrants Goes Down near the coast of The Gambia.

At least seven individuals have perished and numerous others are lost following a boat carrying around two hundred migrants attempting to reach European shores sank near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.

The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.

Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for those still missing who were traveling on the sunken boat that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.

The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers trying to reach European nations.

Almost 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and figures suggest more than 9,000 migrants have lost their lives trying.

Ongoing Mission

In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defence ministry said.

Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.

The bodies of the seven victims who drowned have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.

A Common Migration Route

This West African nation is a frequent corridor taken by migrants seeking to get to the EU, typically through perilous trips over water and land.

In recent years, the European Union has forged deals with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of limiting illegal migration.