No fewer than seven individuals have died and many others remain unaccounted for following a boat transporting around two hundred migrants trying to get to Europe overturned in waters near The Gambia, authorities say.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight near Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
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 en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers trying to reach European nations.
Nearly 47,000 individuals arrived at the Spanish archipelago in last year and estimates in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, The Gambian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Reports indicate a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to Europe, typically through dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the European Union has established pacts with multiple North African countries designed to limiting irregular migration.
