🔗 Share this article Scores Unaccounted For After Boat Carrying Two Hundred Migrants Capsizes in waters off the Gambian coast. The capsized craft was discovered beached on a sandbar, according to statements. At least seven individuals lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat ferrying approximately 200 migrants seeking to enter Europe sank off the coast of Gambia, officials state. The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement. 96 individuals have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain. The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations. Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in the year 2024 and estimates over 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey. Ongoing Mission Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, using multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the military confirmed. Reports indicate several of the victims are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked. The remains of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention. A Frequent Pathway Gambia is a frequent corridor used by migrants seeking to get to European countries, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain. Recently, the European bloc has forged deals with several Maghreb states aimed at reducing illegal migration.