No fewer than seven souls have died and many others are missing after a boat ferrying about two hundred migrants attempting to reach European shores sank near the shoreline of The Gambia, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for other passengers who were traveling on the capsized craft that was en route to the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a rising pathway for migrants from Africa attempting to get to Europe.
Close to 47,000 individuals reached the Canary Islands in last year and figures suggest over 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After Wednesday's accident, the navy began a search operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the defence ministry said.
Reports indicate a number of those who died 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
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by asylum seekers seeking to get to European countries, often on perilous trips over water and land.
In recent years, the European bloc has established pacts with several Maghreb states with the goal of curtailing irregular migration.
