No fewer than seven souls have perished and a significant number are missing after a vessel carrying approximately two hundred migrants attempting to reach Europe capsized off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The craft flipped on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the northern bank region and it was subsequently discovered "beached on a shoal", the nation's defense ministry said in a statement.
96 individuals have been saved to date and a hunt is ongoing for those still missing who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was en route to Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has emerged as a rising pathway for African asylum seekers seeking entry into European nations.
Close to forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Spanish archipelago in last year and data indicates over nine thousand individuals have died during the journey.
Ongoing Mission
Following the Wednesday incident, Gambia's naval forces initiated a rescue mission, deploying multiple navy ships and a commercial fishing craft that joined the effort, the military reported.
Reports indicate several of the victims are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The bodies of the seven individuals who drowned have been retrieved, and ten of the survivors are described as being in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants attempting to enter the EU, frequently via dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
Recently, the EU has reached agreements with several North African nations designed to reducing irregular migration.
