A minimum of seven souls have died and a significant number remain unaccounted for after a vessel carrying approximately two hundred migrants attempting to reach European shores overturned off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight close to Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was bound for the Canary Islands of Spain.
The dangerous voyage over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa seeking entry into the EU.
Nearly forty-seven thousand migrants made it to the Canaries in last year and figures suggest in excess of nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Following the Wednesday incident, the navy initiated a rescue mission, involving several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that joined the effort, the defense officials said.
Officials state several of the victims are foreign nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven individuals who drowned have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is a common pathway taken by asylum seekers trying to reach the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys over water and land.
Recently, the EU has reached agreements with several North African nations designed to limiting undocumented migration.
