🔗 Share this article Scores Missing After Vessel Carrying 200 Asylum Seekers Goes Down off Gambia. The capsized craft was discovered aground on a sandbank, officials report. A minimum of seven individuals lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel transporting approximately 200 people attempting to reach European shores overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, authorities say. The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement. Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands. The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into Europe. Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Canaries in the year 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey. Search and Rescue Efforts In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the military said. Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified. The deceased of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment. A Frequent Pathway The Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants seeking to get to the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain. Recently, the EU has established pacts with several North African countries aimed at limiting irregular migration.