🔗 Share this article Numerous People Lost Following Vessel Holding 200 Migrants Capsizes in waters off Gambia. Authorities located the stricken boat aground on a sandbank, according to statements. No fewer than seven individuals have died and numerous others are lost following a craft carrying around 200 people attempting to reach Europe sank off the coast of Gambia, officials state. The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry said in a statement. Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands. The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants trying to reach European nations. Close to forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in the year 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 people have died in the attempt. Rescue Operation Following the Wednesday incident, the navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed. Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified. The deceased of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care. A Common Migration Route This West African nation is one of the routes used by migrants seeking to get to the EU, often on hazardous voyages by sea and land. In recent years, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states aimed at limiting undocumented migration.