A minimum of seven people have perished and many others are lost in the wake of a boat ferrying about 200 migrants trying to get to the European continent overturned off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was later found "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for those still missing who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for migrants from Africa attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in last year and figures suggest more than 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces began a search-and-rescue operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven victims who drowned were found, and a dozen of the saved are said to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is one of the routes used by migrants trying to reach European countries, typically through hazardous voyages by sea and land.
In recent years, the European Union has established pacts with a number of Maghreb states designed to limiting illegal migration.
