Dozens Lost Following Vessel Transporting 200 Migrants Sinks in waters off the Gambian coast.
No fewer than seven souls lost their lives and a significant number are lost following a boat carrying about 200 migrants seeking to enter the European continent overturned off the coast of the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the sunken boat that was en route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in last year and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals have lost their lives trying.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a rescue mission, involving multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven people who died have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in serious condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is a common pathway utilized by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has reached agreements with a number of Maghreb states with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
