🔗 Share this article Scores Lost Following Craft Transporting 200 Migrants Capsizes in waters off Gambia. The shipwrecked vessel was found beached on a sandbar, officials report. At least seven people lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel transporting around 200 migrants seeking to enter the European continent capsized in waters near The Gambia, officials state. The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement. 96 individuals have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the sunken boat that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands. The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants attempting to get to Europe. Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Canaries in the year 2024 and estimates more than nine thousand individuals have lost their lives in the attempt. Ongoing Mission In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a search operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that offered help, the military reported. Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation. The bodies of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention. A Frequent Pathway This West African nation is a common pathway used by migrants attempting to enter Europe, frequently via perilous trips over water and land. Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with several North African nations aimed at curtailing irregular migration.