A minimum of seven souls have perished and numerous others are lost in the wake of a vessel transporting around two hundred people trying to get to Europe capsized in waters near The Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "grounded on a sandbank", the Gambian military authorities said in a statement.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for the remaining passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has grown into a more frequent path for African asylum seekers attempting to get to Europe.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in last year and estimates in excess of nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a rescue mission, using a number of military boats and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defense officials confirmed.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The remains of the seven victims who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are reported to be in serious condition and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, typically through perilous trips by sea and land.
Recently, the European bloc has established pacts with a number of North African countries designed to reducing undocumented migration.
