Scores Missing After Craft Transporting 200 Migrants Goes Down near the coast of The Gambia.
No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for following a boat carrying approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent sank near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in last year and figures suggest more than 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven victims who drowned have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants attempting to enter the EU, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple Maghreb states aimed at reducing irregular migration.
