Scores Unaccounted For Following Craft Holding 200 Migrants Sinks off The Gambia.
No fewer than seven souls have died and many others remain unaccounted for after a craft transporting around 200 migrants trying to get to the European continent overturned off the coast of Gambia, authorities say.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to the EU.
Close to 47,000 people made it to the Spanish archipelago in last year and figures suggest over 9,000 migrants perished during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a rescue mission, using several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the military reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven people who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants attempting to enter Europe, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
Over the past few years, the EU has forged deals with multiple North African nations designed to curtailing illegal migration.