No fewer than seven people lost their lives and a significant number are missing in the wake of a boat carrying approximately two hundred people attempting to reach European shores sank off the coast of Gambia, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to Jinack village in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for those still missing who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African migrants attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly 47,000 individuals made it to the Spanish archipelago in last year and data indicates over 9,000 migrants perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy launched a search operation, deploying a number of military boats and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defence ministry confirmed.
Officials state a number of those who died are not from The Gambia and that their identities are still being verified.
The deceased of the seven people who drowned have been recovered, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is a frequent corridor taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to the EU, typically through perilous trips over water and land.
Recently, the European bloc has forged deals with multiple North African countries aimed at curtailing illegal migration.
