At least seven people have died and a significant number are lost following a vessel ferrying approximately two hundred migrants seeking to enter European shores overturned near the shoreline of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped late Wednesday night close to Jinack village in the northern bank region and it was afterwards located "beached on a shoal", the country's defence ministry announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation continues for other passengers who were aboard the sunken boat that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African migrants attempting to get to European nations.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants arrived at the Canaries in last year and figures suggest over nine thousand individuals perished trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, using multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that came to assist, the defense officials reported.
Reports indicate some of the deceased are foreign nationals and that their details are still being checked.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been recovered, and 10 of those rescued are described as being in grave health and getting immediate medical attention.
An Established Corridor
The Gambia is one of the routes used by migrants attempting to enter European countries, often on perilous trips across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the European Union has forged deals with multiple North African nations aimed at curtailing undocumented migration.
