A minimum of seven individuals have perished and many others remain unaccounted for following a vessel ferrying around two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe overturned in waters near The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night close to Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the capsized craft that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in last year and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals have died in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the military confirmed.
Authorities say a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants attempting to enter the EU, frequently via hazardous voyages by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has forged deals with multiple Maghreb states aimed at limiting illegal migration.
