No fewer than seven people have died and many others are lost after a vessel carrying about two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores capsized near the shoreline of Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in last year and estimates over nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, the navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the military said.
Authorities say several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven people who perished at sea have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by asylum seekers attempting to enter the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys by sea and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of North African nations with the goal of limiting irregular migration.
