🔗 Share this article Numerous People Missing Following Vessel Transporting Two Hundred Asylum Seekers Sinks off the Gambian coast. Authorities located the stricken boat stranded on a shoal, officials report. No fewer than seven people have perished and a significant number are missing in the wake of a vessel carrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores overturned in waters near The Gambia, reports confirm. The vessel capsized late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry announced officially. Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the sunken boat that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain. The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants trying to reach Europe. Almost 47,000 individuals arrived at the Spanish archipelago in 2024 and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people have died during the journey. Ongoing Mission Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy began a search operation, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed. Authorities say several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation. The bodies of the seven victims who drowned were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention. A Frequent Pathway This West African nation is one of the routes utilized by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land. Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple North African nations with the goal of reducing illegal migration.