Scores Unaccounted For After Boat Carrying 200 Migrants Goes Down off Gambia.
At least seven people have died and a significant number are lost after a craft ferrying about two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, authorities say.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight in the vicinity of Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into European nations.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in last year and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy began a rescue mission, involving a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Authorities say a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway taken by migrants trying to reach European countries, typically through dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Recently, the European bloc has reached agreements with multiple North African nations designed to reducing illegal migration.
