Dozens Unaccounted For Following Craft Transporting 200 Migrants Capsizes off Gambia.
No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and many others are lost after a craft ferrying approximately 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe capsized in waters near Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants attempting to get to the EU.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates more than 9,000 migrants have died during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway taken by migrants attempting to enter the EU, often on hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states aimed at curtailing irregular migration.
