A minimum of seven individuals have died and a significant number remain unaccounted for following a boat carrying approximately two hundred people attempting to reach Europe capsized in waters near The Gambia, officials state.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canaries in last year and figures suggest more than 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, the navy initiated a search operation, involving several naval vessels and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are reported to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a frequent corridor used by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has forged deals with several Maghreb states with the goal of reducing illegal migration.
