No fewer than seven souls lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for following a craft transporting approximately 200 people seeking to enter Europe overturned off the coast of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were traveling on the sunken boat that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into Europe.
Close to 47,000 people made it to the Canaries in last year and data indicates over 9,000 migrants have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a search operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Officials state some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who died were found, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, often on dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Recently, the European Union has reached agreements with multiple North African nations with the goal of limiting undocumented migration.
