A minimum of seven souls have perished and many others remain unaccounted for after a boat carrying around two hundred migrants attempting to reach European shores overturned in waters near The Gambia, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized late Wednesday night in the vicinity of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe.
Almost 47,000 individuals reached the Spanish archipelago in last year and estimates in excess of nine thousand individuals have died in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, deploying a number of military boats and a commercial fishing craft that offered help, the defense officials said.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a frequent corridor taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, typically through hazardous voyages by sea and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has established pacts with multiple North African countries with the goal of reducing irregular migration.
