A minimum of seven individuals have died and numerous others remain unaccounted for after a craft ferrying about 200 people seeking to enter Europe sank off the coast of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday near the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa seeking entry into European nations.
Almost 47,000 people reached the Canary Islands in last year and figures suggest over 9,000 people have died trying.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven victims who drowned have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants attempting to enter the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple Maghreb states designed to reducing undocumented migration.
