At least seven individuals lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for following a vessel ferrying about two hundred people attempting to reach the European continent overturned off the coast of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in last year and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven people who perished at sea were found, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants trying to reach European countries, frequently via dangerous journeys by sea and land.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of reducing illegal migration.
