Scores Missing Following Craft Transporting 200 Migrants Sinks off Gambia.
At least seven souls lost their lives and a significant number remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat ferrying around two hundred migrants trying to get to European shores sank in waters near Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals were pulled to safety and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard the capsized craft that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The hazardous trip over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into the EU.
Nearly 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in last year and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
After Wednesday's accident, Gambia's naval forces began a search operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the military confirmed.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven people who perished at sea have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants attempting to enter European countries, typically through perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the EU has established pacts with multiple North African countries designed to reducing undocumented migration.
