At least seven souls have perished and a significant number are missing in the wake of a boat carrying about 200 migrants attempting to reach European shores capsized off the coast of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants seeking entry into the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in last year and estimates over 9,000 migrants perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, using several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Authorities say several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven victims who died have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are described as being in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a common pathway utilized by migrants seeking to get to European countries, frequently via perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has established pacts with several North African nations aimed at curtailing illegal migration.
