A minimum of seven people lost their lives and a significant number are missing in the wake of a craft transporting about two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent sank near the shoreline of The Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight near Jinack in the North Bank area and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was bound for the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa trying to reach the EU.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in last year and estimates more than 9,000 migrants perished during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, using a number of military boats and a fishing boat that joined the effort, the defense officials confirmed.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea were found, and ten of the survivors are said to be in critical condition and receiving urgent medical care.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes utilized by asylum seekers seeking to get to European countries, frequently via perilous trips over water and land.
Over the past few years, the European Union has reached agreements with several Maghreb states aimed at limiting illegal migration.
