A minimum of seven people have died and numerous others remain unaccounted for after a craft ferrying about two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Close to 47,000 individuals arrived at the Spanish archipelago in last year and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a search-and-rescue operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defense officials reported.
Officials state several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven individuals who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway used by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, frequently via perilous trips by sea and land.
Recently, the European bloc has established pacts with multiple Maghreb states aimed at curtailing irregular migration.
