At least seven souls lost their lives and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a vessel transporting around two hundred migrants attempting to reach the European continent overturned in waters near The Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday in the vicinity of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was later found "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for African migrants trying to reach European nations.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in last year and data indicates more than 9,000 migrants have lost their lives in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, The Gambian Navy began a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry reported.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The deceased of the seven people who died have been recovered, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, typically through dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Over the past few years, the European bloc has established pacts with multiple North African nations aimed at curtailing illegal migration.
