No fewer than seven individuals have perished and numerous others are missing following a boat carrying approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter the European continent capsized in waters near The Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into Europe.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in last year and data indicates over 9,000 people perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a search operation, using a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a common pathway utilized by migrants trying to reach the EU, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has established pacts with multiple North African countries aimed at curtailing undocumented migration.
