No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and numerous others are lost following a vessel ferrying around two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe sank near the shoreline of Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the Gambian military authorities stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa attempting to get to Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canary Islands in last year and estimates in excess of 9,000 migrants have lost their lives in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the military reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The remains of the seven people who died have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by migrants attempting to enter European countries, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has reached agreements with multiple Maghreb states aimed at curtailing irregular migration.
