A minimum of seven souls have died and a significant number remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat transporting approximately two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores overturned off the coast of The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near Jinack in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants seeking entry into Europe.
Almost 47,000 people arrived at the Canary Islands in last year and figures suggest in excess of 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy began a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven people who drowned were found, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
This West African nation is one of the routes utilized by migrants trying to reach Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has established pacts with a number of North African nations with the goal of curtailing irregular migration.
