A minimum of seven souls lost their lives and a significant number are lost following a vessel ferrying about two hundred people seeking to enter European shores capsized in waters near the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were on board the capsized craft that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to the EU.
Almost 47,000 individuals arrived at the Canaries in last year and figures suggest more than 9,000 migrants have died trying.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a fishing boat that offered help, the defense officials confirmed.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven individuals who drowned were found, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in serious condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a frequent corridor utilized by migrants trying to reach Europe, frequently via dangerous journeys by sea and land.
In recent years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple North African countries with the goal of curtailing undocumented migration.
