A minimum of seven souls have perished and numerous others are missing in the wake of a vessel ferrying about 200 people attempting to reach the European continent capsized near the shoreline of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were traveling on the capsized craft that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in last year and figures suggest over 9,000 people have died in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a search operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are said to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on perilous trips over water and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with multiple North African countries with the goal of limiting illegal migration.
