A minimum of seven individuals have perished and a significant number are missing in the wake of a boat ferrying around two hundred people attempting to reach European shores capsized off the coast of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Close to 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in last year and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, using a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the military said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by migrants seeking to get to Europe, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has established pacts with several North African countries with the goal of reducing undocumented migration.
