Scores Missing Following Vessel Transporting Two Hundred Migrants Sinks near the coast of Gambia.
A minimum of seven people have perished and numerous others are missing after a vessel ferrying around 200 migrants trying to get to Europe sank off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were aboard the capsized craft that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly 47,000 individuals made it to the Canaries in last year and data indicates in excess of 9,000 migrants perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy launched a search operation, involving several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials reported.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven individuals who died have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are reported to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a common pathway used by migrants trying to reach European countries, frequently via hazardous voyages over water and land.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states designed to curtailing illegal migration.
