Numerous People Missing After Craft Transporting 200 Migrants Goes Down in waters off The Gambia.
At least seven individuals have died and many others are missing following a craft carrying about two hundred people attempting to reach the European continent overturned in waters near Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped 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 stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa seeking entry into Europe.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in last year and figures suggest over 9,000 people have lost their lives in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy began a search-and-rescue 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 remains of the seven victims who died were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to European countries, typically through perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with several Maghreb states designed to limiting irregular migration.
