Scores Lost After Craft Transporting Two Hundred Migrants Capsizes in waters off Gambia.
No fewer than seven souls lost their lives and many others are lost after a boat ferrying about 200 migrants trying to get to the European continent overturned near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night near Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to Europe.
Almost 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in last year and figures suggest over 9,000 people have died during the journey.
Rescue Operation
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the military said.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
Gambia is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers attempting to enter Europe, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European bloc has forged deals with a number of Maghreb states aimed at reducing irregular migration.
