At least seven individuals lost their lives and many others remain unaccounted for following a boat carrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter the European continent capsized off the coast of The Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Nearly 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy began a search-and-rescue operation, involving a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the military reported.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven people who perished at sea have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are said to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by migrants attempting to enter European countries, frequently via perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple North African countries designed to limiting undocumented migration.
