Numerous People Missing Following Boat Carrying 200 Migrants Capsizes near the coast of Gambia.
At least seven individuals lost their lives and numerous others are missing after a boat transporting about two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe overturned in waters near The Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canary Islands in last year and figures suggest more than 9,000 people perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven victims who drowned have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants seeking to get to European countries, typically through hazardous voyages over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of North African countries with the goal of reducing undocumented migration.
