No fewer than seven souls have died and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a craft ferrying approximately two hundred people seeking to enter European shores capsized off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in last year and data indicates in excess of 9,000 migrants perished in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a rescue mission, deploying several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven victims who drowned have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants trying to reach European countries, typically through dangerous journeys by sea and land.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
