Numerous People Lost Following Boat Holding 200 Migrants Goes Down off Gambia.
A minimum of seven individuals lost their lives and many others are lost in the wake of a boat carrying about 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe sank in waters near Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
96 individuals have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were on board the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa trying to reach the EU.
Close to 47,000 individuals made it to the Canaries in last year and data indicates in excess of nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy began a search-and-rescue operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that offered help, the defense officials confirmed.
Authorities say several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
The Gambia is a frequent corridor used by migrants seeking to get to European countries, typically through dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple North African countries with the goal of reducing illegal migration.
