No fewer than seven individuals have perished and numerous others are lost in the wake of a craft transporting about two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores sank off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday near Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a search is continuing for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic Ocean has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa seeking entry into Europe.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in last year and data indicates in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives during the journey.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, Gambia's naval forces launched a search-and-rescue operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Authorities say some of the deceased are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven victims who perished at sea were found, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
Gambia is one of the routes used by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, frequently via hazardous voyages across ocean and terrain.
Over the past few years, the European Union has forged deals with a number of North African nations with the goal of curtailing irregular migration.
