Scores Unaccounted For Following Craft Carrying Two Hundred Migrants Capsizes off The Gambia.
At least seven people have died and a significant number are missing following a craft ferrying around two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent overturned in waters near Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night close to Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the capsized craft that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates over nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defense officials said.
Authorities say a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by asylum seekers trying to reach European countries, often on hazardous voyages over water and land.
In recent years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple North African countries designed to reducing undocumented migration.
