Scores Lost Following Vessel Holding Two Hundred Migrants Capsizes near the coast of the Gambian coast.
At least seven souls have died and many others are lost after a vessel ferrying approximately 200 people attempting to reach European shores overturned near the shoreline of The Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were aboard the capsized craft that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.
Nearly 47,000 individuals made it to the Spanish archipelago in last year and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces launched a search operation, deploying several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven people who died have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants seeking to get to Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the European Union has established pacts with multiple Maghreb states with the goal of curtailing irregular migration.
