🔗 Share this article Dozens Unaccounted For Following Boat Transporting 200 Migrants Goes Down in waters off Gambia. Authorities located the stricken boat stranded on a shoal, according to statements. At least seven individuals have died and many others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat transporting around two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe sank off the coast of The Gambia, authorities say. The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry stated in a release. 96 individuals were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain. The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to the EU. Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates more than nine thousand individuals have died during the journey. Ongoing Mission In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy began a search operation, using multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military said. Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation. The remains of the seven individuals who drowned have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment. A Common Migration Route The Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain. In recent years, the European bloc has reached agreements with several Maghreb states designed to reducing illegal migration.