Numerous People Lost Following Vessel Holding 200 Asylum Seekers Capsizes in waters off the Gambian coast.
No fewer than seven souls have died and a significant number remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel carrying approximately 200 people attempting to reach Europe sank near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for the remaining passengers who were on board the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe.
Close to 47,000 people made it to the Canary Islands in last year and figures suggest more than nine thousand individuals have died in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Authorities say a number of those who died are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven individuals who drowned have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants seeking to get to European countries, often on dangerous journeys over water and land.
Recently, the European Union has forged deals with a number of North African nations aimed at curtailing irregular migration.
