Numerous People Lost Following Craft Transporting Two Hundred Migrants Sinks off The Gambia.
No fewer than seven individuals have perished and many others remain unaccounted for following a craft ferrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter European shores capsized near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The vessel capsized in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach European nations.
Almost 47,000 individuals arrived at the Spanish archipelago in last year and data indicates over 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that offered help, the defense officials reported.
Authorities say a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven people who drowned were found, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is a common pathway used by migrants attempting to enter Europe, typically through hazardous voyages over water and land.
In recent years, the European Union has forged deals with a number of Maghreb states aimed at curtailing undocumented migration.
