Scores Unaccounted For Following Craft Carrying 200 Migrants Capsizes near the coast of the Gambian coast.
No fewer than seven souls have died and a significant number remain unaccounted for following a boat transporting about two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe overturned off the coast of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Close to 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in last year and figures suggest over 9,000 migrants have lost their lives in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military confirmed.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven individuals who died have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a frequent corridor taken by migrants trying to reach the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has established pacts with several North African countries with the goal of curtailing illegal migration.