Dozens Unaccounted For After Boat Transporting 200 Asylum Seekers Goes Down near the coast of Gambia.
At least seven souls have perished and a significant number are lost after a craft carrying about two hundred people trying to get to the European continent sank off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly 47,000 people made it to the Canaries in last year and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy initiated a rescue mission, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military confirmed.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven victims who died have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants trying to reach the EU, often on perilous trips over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with a number of North African countries designed to limiting undocumented migration.
